Women Runners Winning Over Men
Why they are dominating ultramarathons and the science behind their superiority.
Dr. Phil Maffetone
Growing up, I somehow felt women were not really the "weaker sex" during high school biology class. When I first saw the book The Natural Superiority of Women by anthropologist Ashley Montagu, it seemed I was onto something. Yet, why were girls officially and unofficially banned from racing over 800 meters through most of the 20th century? It was claimed that they were too "frail" for long distances.
Women officially started running marathons in 1972, and in 1984 it finally became an Olympic event. Today? They quietly finish in the top 1% among men in many marathons and are beating them in ultramarathons. Women are absolutely dominating events where the ability to juggle factors from weather to pain is crucial.
Recently, 34-year-old Rachel Entrekin became the first woman to win the incredibly competitive Cocodona 250 ultramarathon outright. Congrats, Rachel! She didn’t just beat an elite field of men and women; she established a new course record, finishing 56 hours and nine minutes. She was the first of three women in the top 10 finishers.
Years ago, I wrote about how women’s superior fat-burning powers would allow them to pass men in long endurance races. I highlighted Ann Trason winning the 1989 US 24-Hour Championship, the first woman to win a national event with men and women outright.
Women’s greater fatigue resistance—along with the ability to endure more pain—means their performances will continue catching, equaling, or bettering men's in these long distances.
In the early 2000s, an updated version of Montagu’s book, using modern science to compare anatomy and physiology, came to a rather hilarious conclusion: women came out on top, both biologically and genetically. While men are generally stronger, women have more powerful immune systems, offering better recovery from stress and fatigue, coupled with a more intuitive brain for racing.
A comprehensive study by Paul Ronto and Vania Nikolova confirmed that female ultra runners are faster than male ultra runners at distances over 195 miles. In 5Ks (3.1 miles), men run about 18% faster, but at marathon distance, that gap shrinks to 11%. At 100 miles, it’s 0.25%. Over 195 miles? Women are 0.6% faster.
Despite the patriarchy, women are excelling in corporate and political worlds, while the science of sex and performance is still sorely lacking. Like health, much of what we know about exercise physiology is based on research in men. Women, being the truly exceptional beings they are, will of course not brag about their biological superiority over men, but will treat them kindly and gently. And continue beating them in long races.
Of course, women racing better than men is just the logical outcome of their fundamental biological, genetic, and evolutionary superiority.
And look, men are great athletes. Kenya's Sabastian Sawe did just become the first person to officially run a marathon in under two hours in London in April 2026 (1:59:30).
But now that the sub-2-hour marathon is behind us, the next big "impossible" global running challenge goes back to a woman: she will soon break the four-minute mile barrier. Stay tuned.
See also:
Gender Paradox: Women’s health still lags
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