Female runners take things in their own stride – research finds
A CQUniversity alumnus is shining a light on how female recreational runners understand and manage the risk of running-related injuries – just in time for Global Running Day (4 June).
Emily Authurs, a recent graduate of CQUniversity’s Bachelor of Podiatry Practice (Honours) degree, will also present findings from her Honours project at Australia’s peak scientific conference for Podiatry - the Australian Podiatry Conference, later this month.
The research explored the experiences and perspectives of female runners when it comes to injury prevention, management and risk.
“Running injuries are rarely caused by a singular factor,” Ms Authurs explained.
“Our research found that female runners consider a mix of physical, emotional, environmental and social factors when it comes to injury risk, prevention and management.
“It’s not just about how they run – but also about who they are and what else is happening in their lives.”
The study, which involved focus groups with 11 female recreational runners, explored the runners’ perspectives of running-related injuries and found that the runners manage injury risk through self-regulation, drawing on their own experiences, healthcare advice, peer support and freely available resources like podcasts and social media.
“What stood out is the active role these runners took in managing their health and running participation,” Ms Authurs said.
“Rather than relying solely on the advice of others, these runners explained processes of piecing together high-quality information from different sources to make informed decisions about their training and recovery.”
The research also highlighted perceived risk factors that were outside of runners’ control, such as hormonal changes and safety concerns around running alone at certain times, which can disrupt consistent training.
Ms Authurs’ supervisor, Dr Ben Peterson, Head of Course for Podiatry at CQUniversity, praised the research as a timely and important contribution to both academic understanding and clinical practice.
“Previously, research aiming to identify risk factors for running injuries has focused on specific measures of runners, such as a runners’ muscle strength, or the way their bodies move when they run.
“Recent research has challenged the importance of these kinds of measures in isolation, and Emily’s work is important as it highlights the need to consider runners – especially female runners – holistically,” Dr Peterson said.
“Injury prevention strategies must go beyond biomechanics and consider the person as a whole.
“Her study encourages clinicians to listen more closely to the runners’ perspective and work with them to develop effective injury prevention and management strategies.”
Emily is based in Rockhampton and Dr Peterson also commended on her dedication to research and patient care.
“Emily is making strides in the early stages of her career – undertaking research and presenting it on a national stage and serving the community as a local podiatrist in a region where her skills are highly sought after.
“She is a key example of what’s possible when a desire to answer important questions and to contribute to the community come together in podiatric practice,” he said.
For Ms Authurs, the journey into research began with a running injury of her own during high school – a setback that eventually sparked her career path.
Now working in private practice with a focus on musculoskeletal injury, she says her passion for helping runners remains as strong as ever.
“I never expected my Honours project would take me to the national stage,” she said.
“But I’m incredibly proud to represent CQUniversity and share insights that could help clinicians better support the running community – especially women, who are still underrepresented in sports medicine research.”
As the global community celebrates the joy and benefits of running this week, Emily’s message to fellow runners and healthcare professionals is simple: “Keep asking questions, keep listening and keep running – smarter and stronger.”
