Are women better than men at endurance running?

Jasmin Paris won the 100-mile Barkley Marathons, Rachel Entrekin set a record at the Montane Summer Spine Race, and Sophie Woods beat the Via Alpina overall time by six days. A RunRepeat-IAU analysis of two decades of ultra-marathon data shows the gender pace gap shrinking to 0.25% in 100-mile events and potentially reversing beyond 195 miles, citing women’s higher fat stores, more efficient slow-twitch fibers, and greater fatigue resistance, though scientific confirmation remains limited.