EBR Friday Focus

by ENDURANCE BIKE AND RUN

"Practical insights for sustainable progress"

Hello ,,

Beyond Assumptions | Why Women Can Excel in Ultra-Distance

This week's Focus explores the specific advantages female physiology brings to ultra-distance events—insights that challenge many assumptions about endurance performance. Understanding these physiological and psychological factors can transform how we approach training and race execution for demanding multi-hour events.

3 Insights About Female Ultra-Distance Performance

I.

Women's bodies naturally oxidize more fat as fuel compared to men at the same relative exercise intensities. This metabolic advantage comes from higher body fat levels, estrogen's influence on fat utilization, and greater numbers of slow-twitch muscle fibers. For ultra-distance events, this enhanced fat-burning capacity reduces reliance on external carbohydrate consumption during races, potentially minimizing the gastrointestinal distress that commonly derails ultra-distance athletes.

II.

Research indicates female athletes often experience higher 'flow psyche' ratings during endurance events, potentially leading to better emotional regulation and pacing strategies. Women may also tend toward more conservative self-assessment compared to men—while this might seem disadvantageous, in ultra-distance events it translates to more conservative initial pacing strategies that prove beneficial when energy conservation is critical.

III.

The ultra-distance community offers unique social dynamics that benefit women's collaborative competitiveness—the ability to simultaneously compete while supporting fellow competitors. This social orientation helps develop strong connections with fellow athletes, creating supportive networks that become particularly valuable when mental challenges prove as demanding as physical ones.

2 Questions For You

I.

Irrespective of whether you are male or female, how do you approach your events? Would it be more advantageous to embrace the 'race like a woman' mentality?

II.

When facing the inevitable variations of pace in long events, do you tend toward conservative pacing and steady progression, or do you push harder when others around you accelerate? Is this the best approach?

1 Real-World Example

We work with a lot of female cyclists and runners, and although there are theoretical ups and downs in hormonal cycles, there are also the normal confounding factors of life stress, work and family to contend with.

During his work with Karen Darke, John was involved in a study carried out by Scottish Institute of Sport regarding how female monthly cycles impact performance and training. The findings were inconclusive because responses and feelings were very individual.

So, although we understand the theories, we treat female athletes as individuals, learning what works for you and what doesn't using your training data, metrics like sleep, HRV, period tracker and most importantly, how you are feeling. The more we learn and understand each other, the better and more effective the relationship becomes.

Clare's complete analysis of women's ultra-distance advantages reveals how understanding your specific physiological and psychological strengths can transform race execution. The evidence suggests that female athletes bring distinct advantages to the ultra-distance world that deserve recognition and strategic application. You can read the full article here 'Women in Ultra-Distance: Physiology, Psychology and Training for Success'.

Want to discover how your specific physiological profile can inform better race strategies? Book a consultation with us to explore evidence-based approaches that work with your individual strengths rather than against them.

Ready to develop systematic approaches for your next ultra-distance challenge? Our coaching goes beyond training plans to help you build robust frameworks for managing the complex demands of ultra-events.

If you're an endurance cyclist or runner stalling through fatigue. We build training and recovery systems so you can race at full power – without burning out.

Just click this link or the button below to arrange a time to find out how we can help you.

Book a consultation to explore how we can help you develop sustainable training patterns that work for your life.

Keep moving forward,

John and Clare

The EBR Newsletter delivers evidence-based endurance insights every Friday. If you know someone who might benefit from our systematic approach to endurance challenges, please forward this email to anyone who might find it useful or interesting.