How Women in Ultra-Running Keep Up with Men - and Still Make Less

When asked what a CEO, a doctor or a firefighter looks like, a lot of people immediately think of men - because that’s who we’re raised to see in these roles. This is one of the reasons women in the workplace still face all kinds of subtle (or not so subtle) prejudices that may even keep them from reaching their full potential. The same is true for the world of sports. Imagine an endurance runner. Would the first person you think about be a woman? Probably not, but our guest author explains why you should.

Women in ultra-running prove their endurance

What if I told you the future of ultra-running might be female? Imagine this: it’s 4 AM in the middle of Utah’s backcountry. Headlamps bob through pitch-black trails. Blisters, bruises, and sleep-deprived hallucinations are par for the course. You’re 150 miles into the Moab 240 - arguably one of the most brutal ultra-marathons on Earth. And leading the pack? Not a man. Courtney Dauwalter. A woman. This isn’t a one-off. Women have been increasingly taking center stage in ultra-running -  a sport that doesn’t care how fast you sprint a 10K but how deep you can dig when your body wants to quit. And in that dark, gritty trench of endurance, women are proving they can hold their own.

So here’s the kicker: if women are performing just as well - sometimes better - why are

they still getting paid less?

Comparing the numbers on male and female athletes

Let’s talk numbers. In races where the number of male and female competitors is roughly

balanced, performance gaps shrink to near-zero the longer the race. Tiller and Illidi (2024)

analyzed races with gender parity and found minimal time differences between male and

female ultra-runners across the board in a 100 mile race (Tiller & Illidi, 2024).

Physiologically, there’s growing evidence women in ultra-running may even have some advantages. Better fat metabolism, stronger resistance to muscle damage, and more efficient thermoregulation? Check, check, and check. According to Tiller et al. (2021), these traits might tilt the endurance scale slightly in favor of women in ultra-long events (Tiller et al., 2021).

So, science says the gap is closing. But the paycheck? Not so much.

Same trail, different paychecks

Despite matching the mileage, women in ultra-running earn significantly less than their

male counterparts. The Trail Sisters break it down on the iRunFar website: less prize

money, fewer sponsorships, and considerably less media coverage. Despite the market for

women in active wear making up 63% overall (Trail Sisters, 2017).

Only around 30% of ultra-runners are women (Shane Ohly, 2023). Why? Confidence

plays a major role. 26% of women leave the sport because of low self-confidence. Only 5%

of men do. Add in disproportionate maternity responsibilities (17% of women vs. 5% of

men), and you start to see the iceberg below the surface.

Worse still, much of the marketing language in the sport continues to cater to men. Look at

race ads or gear promotions - it’s often rugged, hyper-masculine, and adrenaline-charged.

Don’t get me wrong, that appeals to plenty of people. But for women? It can be alienating

and might be connected to lower self-confidence in the sport.

Women in ultra-running can keep up with their male peers.

The skill gap is no excuse

There’s this lazy narrative that keeps popping up: “Well, maybe it’s just about skill.”

Here’s the thing: that might fly in sports where performance gaps are measurable and

consistent. But in ultra-running? Women have literally won races outright. Dauwalter

crushed the Moab 240 by over 10 hours ahead of the next runner (Trail Runner Magazine,

2017). Additionally, this isn’t an extreme outlier, as the yearly reports by Ultra Running

Magazine show (Ultra Running Magazine, 2025).

So when people say women ”just need to catch up,” they’re not seeing the full picture. It’s

not only about performance—it’s about participation, perception, and persistent barriers.

Trivializing the pay gap as a skill issue ignores the complex web of societal norms, biases,

and structural inequalities that limit opportunity before the race even begins.

It’s not an ultra-running problem - it’s a sports problem

This same storyline plays out across women’s sports. Whether it’s mixed martial arts

(MMA), cycling, or athletics, women consistently get less coverage, less funding, and less

respect—even when their performance is comparable or better. Take women’s MMA. The fighters are technically skilled, fiercely competitive, and draw massive fan interest - yet they still struggle for consistent media attention and financial parity, often relying much more on social media or live-streaming of fights. It’s not a question of talent. It’s a system built to spotlight men’s divisions more heavily, creating a feedback loop: limited visibility leads to fewer sponsorships and fans, which in turn justifies keeping women’s events in the shadows (MMA Core, 2025).

So, what needs to change?

Let’s keep this simple:

• Market for all - Build inclusive narratives in race promotion and sports gear ad-

vertising.

• Sponsor more women - Visibility fuels participation. Participation fuels performance.

• Support confidence and time - Address the confidence gap and the real-world

constraints (like childcare) that affect training time.

• Challenge outdated assumptions - Stop perpetuating the myth that men are

inherently “better” at endurance.

This Is bigger than ultra: What we can learn from this

Honestly, this isn’t just about who crosses the finish line first. It’s about how we define

worth - whose stories get told, whose performances get celebrated, whose efforts get paid.

Because when you tell a woman she’s “almost as good,” despite her running 240 miles

faster than anyone else, what you’re really saying is: “We’re not ready to see you as equal.”

And that’s a hell of a thing to carry at mile 200 - or the next time you’re up for promotion. Because the challenges women face in sports closely mirror those they encounter in the working world. From stereotypes and assumptions to unequal pay and lower chances to reach top positions, even when they have the necessary skills.

So no—don’t tell me the gender pay gap is just about skill. Tell me how you’re going to

help rewrite the story.

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This text was written by Viktor Kalvoda as part of the „Diversity im Lern- und Arbeitsumfeld“ class that IN-VISIBLE CEO and founder Rea Eldem teaches at Hasso-Plattner-Institut.

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References

MMA Core. (2025). How women fighters overcome challenges in mma. https://www.

mma-core.com/articles/How_Women_Fighters_Overcome_Challenges_in_MMA

Shane Ohly. (2023). Female participation – race directors blog. https://www.oureaevents.com/news/2023/3/6/female-participation-race-directors-blog

Tiller, N. B., Elliott-Sale, K. J., Knechtle, B., Wilson, P. B., Roberts, J. D., & Millet, G. Y.

(2021). Do sex differences in physiology confer a female advantage in ultra-endurance

sport? Sports Medicine, 51(5), 895–915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01417-2

Tiller, N. B., & Illidi, C. R. (2024). Sex differences in ultramarathon performance in races

with comparable numbers of males and females. Applied Physiology, Nutrition,

and Metabolism, 49(8), 1129–1136. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2024-0051

Trail Runner Magazine. (2017). Courtney dauwalter wins moab 240. https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/news/courtney-dauwalter-wins-moab-240

Trail Sisters. (2017). Women’s versus men’s pay in trail and ultrarunning. https://www.irunfar.com/womens-versus-mens-pay-in-trail-and-ultrarunning

Ultra Running Magazine. (2025). Races won outright by women. https://subscriber.ultrarunning.com/archive/article/races-won-outright-by-a-woman-5/