Research: What’s stopping women from running ultra and trail races?

A recent study published in sport and society A journal was set up to determine what barriers are preventing women from participating in ultra-distance races. It’s certainly no news that far more men participate in ultra and trail races than women.

hard rock 100 Recently, changes were made to the lottery system so that the percentage of women participating in the lottery was equal to the percentage of women’s races, and other races followed their lead, promoting inclusivity in ultra and trail races. in the sport we are in watch women beat men At longer distances, why are so few women signing up to race?

the study

of research was conducted via an online questionnaire sent to participants of all genders in two UK Ultras, the Highland Fring 85 km (53 mi) Ultratrail race and the Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra. The Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra is a 61 km (38 mile) race and has a particular commitment to promoting inclusiveness within the race. Nonbinary Category We attend all races and encourage transgender athletes to sign up for their favorite category.

Following the online questionnaire, one-to-one telephone interviews were conducted to compare the racing and training experiences of men and women and to determine differences between the two.

Takeaway

The conclusions the researchers reached probably come as no surprise to many women. time This was a factor that prevented both men and women from training for longer or terrain-specific (i.e., trail) races, but had a greater impact on women. More men than men had dependents. The study found that traditional gender roles appear to be the biggest barrier for women to enroll in Ultra.

For both male and female participants, considerable planning and prioritization is required to negotiate time to run alongside family and work commitments, and the process of effectiveness of this negotiation depends on the family or team. “Despite the gradual shift towards egalitarian family roles in society, more restrictive traditional gender roles persist. , which can still affect the bargaining effect of f.female ultra runner more than men, resulting in a potential decrease in the availability of training time for women,” the researchers said.

This suggests that women still carry a greater burden within their families, but the study concludes optimistically, reporting that more women are signing up to race than ever before. The researchers determined that the current historical impact of traditional gender roles is diminishing. female to male ratio Ultra and trail races still need to improve.