Women shatter men's ultra-endurance records, narrowing gender gap in extreme races

Sophie Wood, racing under the name Sophie Grant, traversed the Via Alpina from Trieste to Monaco in 29 days, covering roughly 2,000 kilometres and climbing more than 100,000 metres while sleeping only three to four hours each night, thereby beating the previous male record by more than seven days. Her feat joins recent female breakthroughs: Rachel Entrekin’s overall win at the Cocodona 250, Tara Dower’s record on the Long Trail, Fiona Kolbinger’s victory in the Transcontinental Race, and Jasmin Paris’s win in the Spine Race.

A study by RunRepeat and the International Association of Ultrarunners, which examined over five million results, found the performance gap narrows with distance, reaching near parity at 100 miles and even favoring women beyond 195 miles. Researchers attribute this to women’s higher proportion of Type I muscle fibers and greater reliance on fat for energy, advantages that become decisive in ultra-long events. Wood highlighted additional factors such as psychological resilience, teamwork, and the need for more scientific research and sponsorship for women athletes. The story underscores shifting gender dynamics in extreme endurance sports and the call for greater support and study of female competitors.