Gender Diversity in Ultra Running

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

Diversity is a very popular term right now, and for good reason. Diversity means the practice of including or involving people from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc. Diversity generally creates more interesting, more productive, and more inclusive populations. If we can love and accept others’ for their differences, we’re all better off for it. But when we talk about diversity, it’s best to be incredibly specific. The ultra running community has been talking for a long time about the necessity of diversity and inclusion, why the sport isn’t that diverse, and how to increase inclusivity.

This study from the National Library of Medicine found that ultra runners (running 100 milers) have a mean age of 44.5 years, 80.2% were men, and 70.1% were married. The findings are a bit dated (2009), but indicate a trend that hasn’t changed much. Generally, 100 mile ultramarathon participants are largely well-educated, middle-aged, married men. A 2020 study found that the average age of ultra runners had dropped a bit lower to 42.5, and women now represent 25% of all ultra participants, across ultra distances. The ultra crowd is generally older, generally white, and generally male. If you’ve been at the starting line of an ultra, none of this will surprise you.

What’s surprising to me, is that any of this is shocking. I wrote this article a while back about running and financial privilege. Ultras, more so than shorter road races, cost money. Entry fees are higher, more gear/food is required, and in many cases, more miles are logged requiring more shoes and more time. When we’re talking about increasing diversity and inclusion in the ultra community, we seem to be missing the glaringly obvious fact that a lot of people generally don’t have the time. “If you want it bad enough, you’ll make the time,” you might be thinking. Sure, maybe. But for most people, running ultras is recreational, and there comes a time when real human obligations (jobs, family, etc) take precedent over a hobby, no matter how much much that hobby is loved.

Gender diversity specifically has gained a lot of attention. However, the ultra running community is a very small microcosm of the running community; according to this 2020…