Women in Ultra-Distance: Physiology, Psychology, and Training for Success

Ultra-distance events present unique challenges and opportunities for all athletes, but women bring distinct physiological and psychological traits to the starting line. This article explores the specific advantages and considerations for women in ultra-distance cycling and running, focusing on evidence-based information rather than hype or generalizations.

A Note on Inclusivity

This article primarily examines physiological and sociological factors affecting people assigned female at birth (AFAB) and those who identify as women in ultra-distance events. We recognize that gender exists on a spectrum, and many of the psychological and social aspects discussed may resonate with transgender and non-binary individuals who share similar experiences. Where physiological factors are discussed, these generally relate to sex-based characteristics of individuals AFAB, while psychological and social aspects may apply more broadly across gender identities. Our aim is to celebrate the strengths that female physiology and feminine-associated traits bring to the ultra-endurance world, while acknowledging the diversity of experiences within these communities.

Unique Physiological Aspects for Women in Ultra-Distance Events

Metabolic Advantages

Women's bodies have physiological characteristics that can be advantageous in ultra-endurance events:

• Higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers: Women tend to have more type I (slow twitch) muscle fibers, which are designed for endurance rather than explosive power. These fibers fatigue much more slowly during prolonged activity, making them ideal for ultra-distance events. They're more resistant to muscle damage and can sustain consistent force production over many hours, providing a valuable advantage in events that require steady output over extremely long durations.
• Fat utilization: Research shows that women naturally oxidize more fat as a fuel source compared to men at the same relative exercise intensities. This metabolic advantage comes from several factors: higher body fat levels, the influence of the hormone estrogen on fat utilization, and women's greater number of type I muscle fibers. For ultra-distance events, this enhanced fat-burning capacity can reduce reliance on external carbohydrate consumption during races, potentially minimizing gastrointestinal distress that commonly affects ultra-distance athletes.
• Endurance capacity: Some research suggests women may have advantages in substrate utilization during extended efforts. A 1996 study matched similar-level athletes and found that all females outperformed their matched male athlete during a 90 km effort, despite having lower VO2max and higher percent body fat. The women could sustain exercise at a significantly greater fraction of their VO2max than the men.

Structural and Biomechanical Considerations

Women have distinct structural differences that can affect their ultra-distance performance:

• Wider pelvis structure: Women have a wider pelvis, creating a greater angle from the upper femur towards the knee, resulting in a slight knock-knee effect or greater hip adduction and internal rotation. This anatomical difference can affect running and cycling biomechanics, potentially requiring different bike fitting approaches or strength training protocols.
• Smaller overall frame: Women typically have smaller frames and less muscle mass than men, which can be both an advantage (less weight to carry over long distances) and a potential challenge (less absolute power output).

Hormonal Factors

The menstrual cycle plays a significant role in women's performance and training:

• Hormonal fluctuations: Estrogen and progesterone levels vary throughout the menstrual cycle, affecting everything from energy levels to recovery capacity and injury risk.
• Training adaptations: For women, it can be useful to combine training blocks with their monthly period, having the easy/recovery weeks align with the most challenging days of their menstrual cycle (often days 25 to 28 on a 28-day cycle).
• Protein needs: During the luteal phase, if protein intake is inadequate, muscle can be broken down. Women should ingest 1.4-2.4 grams of protein per kg of body weight daily, with emphasis during the luteal phase.

Navigating Pregnancy and Training

For female ultra-distance athletes who become pregnant, balancing training with maternal and fetal health requires thoughtful consideration:

• Training during pregnancy: Current guidelines generally support continued exercise during pregnancy for experienced athletes, with modifications as needed. Many elite athletes maintain significant training loads, particularly in the first and second trimesters, while adapting intensity and monitoring their bodies' responses.
• Inevitable training interruptions: Even with the most carefully planned pregnancy, most women will experience periods where training must be reduced or paused:
  • First trimester morning sickness can severely impact training capacity for some women
  • Third trimester biomechanical changes often make running uncomfortable or impractical
  • Concerns about core body temperature elevation during intense exercise or hot weather
  • Medical complications that may require activity restrictions
• Mental health considerations: Maintaining some form of training when safely possible can be beneficial for mental wellbeing during pregnancy, which in turn has a knock on positive effect on fetal health. The psychological benefits of continued activity should be balanced with physical considerations.

Postpartum Return to Training

Returning to ultra-distance training after childbirth requires patience and careful progression:

• Individualized timeline: The appropriate timeline for returning to training varies widely based on delivery method (vaginal vs. cesarean), complications, recovery progress, and individual healing. Rushing this process can lead to injuries and setbacks.
• Breastfeeding considerations: Lactating athletes face additional logistical challenges, including:
  • Increased caloric and hydration needs
  • Potential discomfort during high-impact activities
  • Timing workouts around feeding schedules
  • Planning for expressing milk during longer training sessions
• Inspiring adaptations: Some women have achieved remarkable results while navigating these challenges. Earlier this year (2025) Stephanie Case won the women's category at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB (a 100-kilometer mountain race) while stopping three times during the race to breastfeed her six-month-old daughter. Despite starting in the third wave (behind elite runners) after a three-year hiatus from competitive running, her finish time made her the women's champion—a powerful demonstration of what's possible for postpartum athletes.
• Gradual progression: Regardless of pre-pregnancy fitness level or eagerness to return, a gradual progression is essential:
  • Begin with low-impact activities like walking or swimming
  • Prioritize rebuilding core and pelvic floor strength
  • Increase duration before intensity
  • Monitor for warning signs like pain, excessive fatigue, or pelvic floor issues
• Professional guidance: Consultation with healthcare providers and specialists in postpartum exercise (such as pelvic floor physical therapists) is highly recommended before returning to high-volume or high-intensity training.

Post-Pregnancy Performance Potential

Some research suggests that pregnancy and childbirth may affect a woman's endurance capacity:

• Physiological adaptations: During pregnancy, numerous physiological changes occur to support the growing fetus, including increased blood volume, cardiac output, and respiratory adaptations. While most of these changes reverse after childbirth, some women report feeling different physiological responses during exercise in the postpartum period.
• Performance observations: While research on post-pregnancy performance is limited, there are numerous examples of elite athletes returning to high-level competition after childbirth. Many athletes report that their perspective on training and racing changes, sometimes resulting in reduced performance pressure and improved mental approach to long-distance events.
• Biomechanical considerations: Pregnancy and childbirth can lead to lasting changes in biomechanics that require attention when returning to training. These may include:
  • Changes in pelvic alignment and stability
  • Altered foot structure (including potential flattening of arches)
  • Modified core muscle function and stability
  • Different weight distribution affecting running form
  • Changes in flexibility and joint laxity
• Equipment adjustments: Postpartum athletes often need to reassess their equipment setup. For cyclists, a professional bike fit reassessment is recommended, as changes in hip width, flexibility, and core strength may necessitate adjustments to saddle height, handlebar position, and other components.

It's important to note that post-pregnancy performance experiences vary widely among women, and many factors beyond physiological changes (including access to support systems, childcare, and training time) influence an athlete's return to competition.

Psychological Aspects of Women in Ultra-Distance Events

Mental Toughness and Resilience

Research has explored the psychological characteristics that help ultra-distance athletes succeed:

• Emotional regulation in women: Studies indicate that female athletes often experience higher "flow psyche" ratings during endurance events, potentially leading to better emotional regulation and pacing strategies. This psychological advantage may partly explain why some elite women can maintain more consistent pacing throughout ultra-distance events.
• Conservative self-assessment and pacing: Research suggests women may tend to underestimate their abilities compared to men. While this might seem disadvantageous, in ultra-distance events it can translate to more conservative initial pacing strategies. This approach often proves beneficial in events where energy conservation is critical; usually those who slow the least are higher up in the field (although this could also due to better fitness).

Community and Support

The ultra-distance community offers unique social dynamics that can benefit women:

• Social motivation: Women tend to be more socially motivated than men in athletic contexts. This social orientation means women often develop strong connections with fellow athletes, creating supportive networks that enhance participation and persistence. In ultra events, where mental challenges can be as demanding as physical ones, this social support becomes particularly valuable.
• Collaborative competitiveness: While certainly competitive, women in ultra-distance events often display what might be called "collaborative competitiveness" - the ability to simultaneously compete while supporting fellow competitors. This can manifest as celebrating others' successes alongside their own, providing encouragement during races, and building community rather than focusing solely on individual achievement.
• Supportive environment: Many women report that the ultra community is particularly welcoming and supportive, focusing more on completion than competition. This environment can be especially beneficial for women who may be deterred by overly aggressive competitive atmospheres in other sports.
• Role models: The increasing visibility of successful female ultra athletes provides important inspiration and knowledge-sharing for newcomers to the sport, helping to grow women's participation in these challenging events.

Training and Race Strategies for Women

Training Adaptations for Women

Effective training for women in ultra-distance events should consider female-specific factors:

• Strength training: Given women's different muscle mass and hormonal environment, strength training is particularly important. Type II muscle fibers can be strengthened and increased through high-intensity intervals and strength training. As age related muscle mass loss occurs earlier and more quickly in female athletes adding a strength component to training can help offset age related performance decline.
• Recovery planning: If you don't plan for recovery, you can easily forget to take it and over-cook your training. This puts you at risk of over-training and injury. All athletes should schedule regular recovery periods, including both easy days and recovery weeks, and as I go on to discuss later this can be particularly challenging for women.
• Cycle-syncing training: Some women find benefits in adjusting training intensity based on their menstrual cycle phases, with higher intensity work during follicular phases and more recovery during luteal phases. You can find more details on this here.

Race Day Execution

While race execution fundamentals apply to all athletes regardless of gender, women may face unique psychological and social challenges in ultra-distance events:

• Permission to prioritize yourself: Women often juggle multiple social responsibilities and may feel obligated to care for others even during their own races. It's important to recognize that during your event, you're an athlete first - childcare and other responsibilities should be delegated to others. Pre-race planning should include clear arrangements for these responsibilities.
• Maintaining race boundaries: Even when starting with friends, unless pre-agreed, there's no obligation to wait if they're struggling and you're not. Your race is your own achievement, and establishing this boundary beforehand can prevent conflict or guilt during the event.
• Resisting the caretaker impulse: Women may feel compelled to stop and help struggling competitors. While life-threatening emergencies warrant assistance, remember that most race issues (like cramps, mechanicals) aren't dangerous - they're part of the challenge each competitor needs to manage themselves. Learning to differentiate between situations that truly require your help versus those where you should continue your own race is an important skill.
• Universal race principles: Like all ultra athletes, women should focus on proven race execution fundamentals:
  • Individualized nutrition strategies tested thoroughly in training
  • Conservative pacing based on personal capacity rather than others' pace
  • Problem-solving mindset for the inevitable challenges that arise

Recovery Strategies for Women

Proper recovery is essential for long-term success and injury prevention:

• Rest periods: An ultra is different from any other race and recovery should be taken seriously! Despite feeling good, it's important to take some down time after an ultra. The longer the race, the longer the recovery.
• Navigating caregiving responsibilities: Women often face unique recovery challenges as they continue to shoulder primary caregiving responsibilities for children, elderly parents, or other family members. True rest becomes difficult when toddlers still need to be picked up, households need maintenance, and dependents require ongoing care. Strategies might include:
  • Temporarily lowering standards (accepting a less tidy house, simpler meals)
  • Substituting low-impact family activities (board games, movies) for more physical ones
  • Directly communicating recovery needs to family members and, if possible, delegating more tasks
  • Scheduling specific recovery windows, even if brief, throughout the day
  • Considering professional help (temporary childcare, cleaning service) as a recovery investment

• Hormonal considerations: Recovery needs may vary throughout the menstrual cycle, with potentially longer recovery times needed during certain phases.
• Holistic approach: Recovery from an ultra should take an holistic approach, considering both physical and mental aspects. Being guided by your "desire" to exercise again after a race is a great indication of whether or not you should be exercising.

Putting It All Together: Training for Success as a Woman

For women preparing for ultra-distance events, success comes from integrating knowledge of female-specific physiology with practical strategies that address the realities of women's lives:

Navigating Limited Time and Energy

• Protecting training time: Schedule training sessions before returning home from work or early in the morning to prevent family demands from derailing workouts. Consider commuter runs/rides when possible.
• Managing multiple demands: Recognize that women often face a "triple shift" of professional work, household management, and family caregiving. This leaves limited physical and mental energy for training, making efficiency crucial.
• Addressing the "last priority" syndrome: Women frequently put themselves last, pushing training to the end of the day when energy is depleted. Reframing training as essential self-care rather than an indulgence can help prioritize it appropriately.
• Childcare solutions: For mothers, especially single parents, indoor training during children's nap times or after bedtime may be necessary. Setting up a treadmill or trainer where you can monitor sleeping children allows for training while fulfilling caregiving responsibilities.

Physiological Considerations

• Menstrual cycle-based training: Adjust training intensity and recovery based on menstrual cycle phases if this helps.
• Nutrition timing and adequacy: Women who manage family meals often neglect their own nutrition. Ensure adequate energy availability by preparing your own meals alongside family cooking, and have ready-to-eat pre-workout options for early morning sessions (carbohydrate intake is particularly important for women even before morning workouts).
• Strength work: Include exercises that address female-specific biomechanical needs, particularly protecting your knees, hip and core stability.

Practical Training Strategies

• Social training groups: Joining groups can fulfill both social needs and training requirements, maximizing limited available time.
• Quality over quantity: Focus on the effectiveness of training sessions rather than volume when time is constrained. Strategic, well-executed shorter sessions can be more beneficial than forced longer ones when fatigued.
• Genuine rest periods: Schedule and protect true down time from training, work, and household responsibilities. Accept that this may mean less overall training volume, but will result in better quality sessions and reduced injury risk.
• Micro-sessions: When unable to complete longer training blocks, consider breaking training into multiple shorter sessions throughout the day (e.g., 15-minute strength work during lunch, 30-minute run before dinner).
• Partner collaboration: Approach training goals as a partnership rather than a solo endeavor. True support goes beyond dividing tasks according to strengths—it means mutually valuing each other's goals and creating space for them. Taking turns with family responsibilities (like bath time) provides your partner quality time with children while giving you dedicated training time, creating a balanced approach where both partners' aspirations are respected and supported.

Beyond Gender Comparison: Celebrating Achievement and Challenging Barriers

Women in ultra-distance events continue to challenge long-held assumptions about female athletic capability and endurance. Their achievements deserve celebration not only in comparison to men's performances but as remarkable accomplishments in their own right.

Breaking Barriers

Throughout sports history, women have repeatedly shattered preconceptions about what female athletes can achieve:

• In ultra-distance events, women have demonstrated they can not only compete but sometimes win outright against mixed-gender fields
• Fiona Kolbinger made history in 2019 when she became the first woman to win the Transcontinental Race, one of the world's most challenging unsupported ultra-cycling events. As a 24-year-old amateur cyclist and medical student, she completed the 4,000 km route from Bulgaria to France in just 10 days, 2 hours, and 48 minutes, defeating over 200 competitors, most of whom were men
• Women like Courtney Dauwalter, who won the 2017 Moab 240 outright (finishing more than 10 hours ahead of the first male competitor), challenge the notion that longer distances inherently favor men
• The increasing performances of women in events once considered too demanding for female athletes (from marathons to multi-day cycling tours) continue to rewrite the boundaries of human potential

Ongoing Progress

While celebrating these achievements, it's important to acknowledge the continuing struggle for equality:

• In her book Stand, Kathryn Bertine's description of how they established the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift highlights the persistent challenges women face in gaining equal opportunity and recognition in ultra-distance sports
• Many women still compete with fewer resources, less media coverage, and lower prize purses than their male counterparts, most notably in Mountain Biking events where less coverage of the downhill race means less sponsorship for women
• Female participation rates in ultra events remain lower than men's in many races, though this gap continues to narrow

Performance in Context

Research on gender differences in ultra-distance events shows varying results:

• In the 720-km 'Swiss Cycling Marathon', the gender difference in performance was 13.6% for the fastest cyclists ever
• In 24-hour ultra-marathons held worldwide from 1977 to 2012, the sex differences decreased over time for the annual fastest finishers
• In races with comparable numbers of male and female participants, performance differences tend to be smaller than in events with significant participation disparities
• There is still much work and research needed in classification for trans and non-binary athletes to both showcase their athletic ability in a fair and inclusive way

Rather than making generalizations about inherent advantages or disadvantages, we should recognize that each athlete brings unique strengths to ultra-distance events. An X chromosome should never be used to make assumptions about an individual's capacity or capability in these demanding pursuits.

Conclusion

Women bring unique physiological and psychological strengths to ultra-distance events. By understanding these specific attributes and tailoring training approaches accordingly, female athletes can optimize their performance and enjoyment of these challenging endurance pursuits.

Success in ultra-distance events isn't about comparing performances between genders but about each athlete reaching their individual potential. With proper training, recovery, and mental preparation, women can excel in the demanding world of ultra-distance cycling and running.

The most important factors for success remain consistent across genders: proper preparation, smart pacing, adequate fueling, mental resilience, and a passion for the challenge of pushing beyond conventional distance barriers. By focusing on these elements while acknowledging female-specific considerations, women can approach ultra-distance events with confidence and achieve remarkable results.