Female Ultra Runners: Claiming Space #MindExpandingMonday
Courtney Dauwalter. Lucy Bartholomew. Beth Pascall.
"File:Courtney Dauwalter (2019).jpg" by Heike Maria Seitz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
In traditional track and road races, there are entirely separate events for men and women. Uniquely, ultra-running provides a space when athletes all compete together regardless of gender. This is made possible by the idea that the gender pace gap is dependent upon race distance. A new study by the International Association of Ultrarunners and RunRepeat reviews data from the last 23 years to examine trends within the world of ultra running (1). Specifically, I will be diving into the effect of gender on performance in this sport.
IMPORTANT DATA: There are more women in ultra running than ever before! Overall participation, regardless of gender, has increased 1676% in the last 23 years. With this boom in participation also comes an increase in female participation from 14% to 23%. Although this is lower than the percentage of female participants in global road marathons, 31.36% (2), this growth is a step in the right direction for inclusion and representation within the ultra-running community.
Ronto, Paul. “The State of Ultra Running 2020.” Athletic Shoe Reviews, RunRepeat, 3 Feb. 2020, runrepeat.com/state-of-ultra-running. Accessed 17 Jan. 2022.
The longer the race, the less gender matters. At the 5k distance, men were shown to run 17.9% faster than women, but this shrank to 11.1% at marathon, and just 0.25% at the 100-mile distance. Interestingly, women were actually faster than men at races above 195 miles! (please don’t ever make me run that far to prove this point).
Ronto, Paul. “The State of Ultra Running 2020.” Athletic Shoe Reviews, RunRepeat, 3 Feb. 2020, runrepeat.com/state-of-ultra-running. Accessed 17 Jan. 2022.
While this might feel like a “so what, we’re finally even at something” moment, it’s a rare occasion in sport where gender becomes less relevant in terms of performance. Sport is a world built upon gender—there is soccer and there is WOMEN’S soccer, and the notable naming of March Madness and WOMEN’S March Madness that has sparked controversy in recent years. So, for this data to show equal performance regarding gender is a huge step for female athletics.
So now, some quick science to wrap up WHY women can excel at the ultra-running distance. Men have naturally larger hearts and muscles thanks to testosterone. This is great for activities like sprinting, weightlifting, and even marathon running. This is because muscles store quick-release fuel in the form of glycogen. For shorter-distance races, this energy source is used. But, this energy storage can only go so far. Enter energy from fat stores.
Women, evolutionarily, have a higher fat composition than men for the purpose of childbearing. Once glycogen storages have been depleted, the body turns to fat for energy. Women, having higher naturally fat percentages, might be better at burning it for energy during these long races. Researchers say that estrogen could possibly make fat more available for burning as a fuel source (3). While there is currently very limited research in the world of women’s endurance sports, and women’s sports in general, this data is interesting because it tears down the inherent connection between gender and athletic ability.
Since there isn’t much data, I’m curious to see what you guys think! Are you a woman who runs ultras? What has your experience been like? As always, don’t take yourself too seriously and enjoy your Monday :)
#MindExpandingMonday
Jens Jakob Andersen. “Research: Women Are Better Runners than Men.” Athletic Shoe Reviews, RunRepeat, 8 May 2015, runrepeat.com/research-women-are-better-runners-than-men. Accessed 17 Jan. 2022.
Jens Jakob Andersen. “Marathon Statistics 2019 Worldwide (Research).” Athletic Shoe Reviews, RunRepeat, 16 Apr. 2019, runrepeat.com/research-marathon-performance-across-nations. Accessed 17 Jan. 2022.
Brueck, Hilary. “Women Are Faster Long-Distance Runners than Men, Estrogen May Be Why.” Insider, Insider, 7 Jan. 2020, Brueck, Hilary. “Women Are Faster Long-Distance Runners than Men, Estrogen May Be Why.” Insider, Insider, 7 Jan. 2020, www.insider.com/women-are-faster-long-distance-runners-estrogen-2020-1 Accessed 17 Jan. 2022.