Just amazing! Wonderful article Rebecca! ' she (Dauwalter) completed the route in a little less than 58 hours and beat the next competitor, a man, by 10 hours, or 20 miles." I had no idea what a woman could beat a man by that amount of distance and time!
2
Since Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox wrote The Imperial Animal many years ago we’ve been aware of (statistically) women’s advantages with respect to endurance (stronger hearts, lungs, etc., to better allow them to bear children). By now noone should be surprised with respect to their endurance. Let alone the fact that they, as a group, outlive us men—under comparable conditions. They truly are superior animals, when seen as animals—from my perspective, they’re superior when seen as humans as well.
6
The story is woefully flimsy and based on a quote from a psychologist with no proof. She doesn’t outrun men. The article finally acknowledges as much at the end. She is to be admired for what she does. To turn it into an example of gender prowess is all too typical of today’s Times and does women no good at all.
1
Dauwalter's fitness, stamina, and mental toughness are inspiring. It's great to see there are athletic events in which muscle mass and body build alone don't determine the results. This morning Camille Herron set the all-surface 24-hour record at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational: 162.80 miles. Truly awe-some. https://twitter.com/iRunFar/status/1071783093265027077
2
I volunteered as first aid (I'm in Civil Defence) at a 24 hour run in Ireland. 4 am to noon shift. After THAT experience I cannot imagine the types of injuries people must deal with running 300 mles!
To the Irish ultra running community, this story is fluff. It's crazy over here.
One guy Don Hannon ran from Dublin to South Kerry after donating an organ to his sick sister.
Mary Hickey ran the entire circumference of Ireland raising money for Irish Coast Guard.
The Achilll Ultra is a 39 miler run in July& August - and some of them run it back to bavkb4 consecutive days!
Ultra running is a cult over here!
Susan
Expat in waterville
Hooray for the human spirit, for those of our species who never stop trying to push the limits, to discover, to open our minds to new possibilities. We don’t all do it as a mission, but it benefits us all. Thanks Courtney!
2
Why?
Not a healthy way to spend ones time,moderation in all things is most rewarding.
1
Female soldiers suffered double the rate of injuries compared with male colleagues in Army combat training, including jobs in field artillery and repairing the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Data showed that women in the military occupational specialty (MOS) of artillery surveyor meteorological crew member suffered more than double (113 percent) the injuries of men.
There is a reason why the world Olympic competitions separate males and females.
2
this sort of extreme running should not be lauded for anyone: an addiction, not healthy in any way.
3
It's funny and oh so predictable, seeing the flummoxed and indignant responses from all the males here. Can't have a headline with a woman doing something great. The responses are either, "well data says..." or "I/my son/nephew (insert any male here) can easily outrun her...". These articles bring out all the insecure man-babies every time. Thanks guys for the laugh.
8
@Moira You got it wrong. Most of us who know the sport admire Courtney because she is an incredible athlete but the article is wrong to imply that her performance challenges the notion that men do better, at least in this sport.
Many women outrun men in every race. But the fastest runners in almost every race is always a man. The fact that Courtney is outrunning men does not mean WOMEN are faster that men. SHE is faster that MANY MEN, but not all.
5
CD is the real deal. Her athletic prowess is only eclipsed by her humility - when you finish behind her in one of these 200 milers (and we all do), she and her posse are waiting at the finish line cheering on every other runner - I overheard her talking to one of the final finishers at the Tahoe 200 - she congratulated him; he said "yeah, but you killed it" - she replied "we both killed it". Cool cat.
14
I know of two ultramarathon runners that have unusually high iron levels. I wonder if that’s the case with other runners that can run these distances?
Antisocial ultrarunners? Has the author actually spent time at an ultra or with a training group of ultra runners? The difficulty of the distance creates a huge sense of camaraderie, even among fierce competitors.
This article, in my opinion, really missed the point, both as an examination of ultra running and as a celebration of dauwalters athleticism, spirit, and class.
2
Last month my body was thoroughly beaten after running two marathons within two weeks, and a half marathon within a few days afterwards. That by itself, plus long months of training, is irrational behavior. Can't imagine anyone running 200 miles nonstop night and day.
What's the real purpose here? At some point, diminishing returns will set in. I know many former runners who can hardly walk today due to unnecessary punishment to their bodies, ignoring the warning signs that usually appear before a disaster. Courtney was hallucinating while running in the woods at 1.00am, but she pushed on.
How much longer can ultra-marathoners continue to punish their bodies without serious repercussions? I believe we can challenge ourselves in more productive ways than running 300 miles, nonstop.
5
pretty lazy thinking to go right to "psychological factors" to explain her success - it might just be that, at certain distances, the greater mass that men have to move catches up with them; in addition, she seems to be quite an outlier
5
This is really no different than being the winner of a last person to take their hand of the car wins the car contest. I see the word "run" used numerous times and events like this are more of who can powerhike/survive the longest and not "run" the fastest. There was little running involved.
4
@Scuba Steve
I "ran" and finished these 200-mile races, and, sure, for me there was a lot of hiking involved, but you are crazy if you think Courtney did much walking.
4
Certainly Dauwalter is to be commended for her incredible athleticism, but I can't help thinking that we will all be better off when we stop trumpeting the supposed superiorities of one gender over another.
79
@Patrick Brooks Yet that is what men have been doing and still do for ever.
23
@Patrick:
Women have been hearing about the superiority of men for centuries. Maybe it’s time to celebrate what women can do better than men?
22
@FlipFlop
Oh please...boo hoo. The reality is this...like it or not, men ARE better at some things. This woman is to be commended for her incredible ability, but she is woman, not women. The exception does not make the rule. She does not open a debate. If a white guy wins the Heisman trophy as a running back, does that change the fact that in most cases, black guys are better at the position? No. The exception does not make the rule.
Here's the thing...women also tend to be better than men at some things. Why is this not enough for women? Why do they always feel the need to step into the arena where men tend to be better, and try to prove that women are better? Hubris much?
10
My cousin was married to a woman who became obsessed with ultra long-distance running -- to the exclusion of everything else, including my cousin. That was it for their marriage.
34
@DaveSJ711So then maybe it is obsession rather than endurance that is the major driver of a participant.
4
@DaveSJ711 yeah, for this kind of racing you really need to have buy-in from your family. You might notice that near the end of the story she says "we" can come back stronger. The 'we' is her and her husband, she's also good about supporting and encouraging his ultra-running.
6
TITLED: A Man Who Outruns the women. what do you think?
3
Good for her. I've never heard of this kind of competition until now, looks like it could be fun, exhausting obviously, but maybe I'll give it a (non competitive) try.
2
@Randolph
Good thinking! Those 200-mile races are totally awesome - set your sights on one.
1
This woman is awesome. Just wanted to say that. Before pointing out that when she wins multiple of these in a row it would not have proven one thing or another about psychological differences or physical differences between men and women. While I agree that perhaps 200mile running may be another sport we can remove the male/female category from, noone should be sad if one sex winning more than another should happen. Especially if the winners are still able to drink beer.
Kudos to these athletes who can perform the repetitive motion of walking without their muscles destroying themselves. This is a one time thing in my book. The walk for hunger leaves me hurting for days!
1
I am 66. Used to run up to 60-miles per week. Still fit! But, after reading some of these comments by other runners, I think we need to extract the common theme – the moral of the story. Life is a connection. Like fingerprints, ef you listen to your body, you stay and maintain good health, every spirit and every body is different. Videos of elite swimmers have revealed that each on achieves success by discovering the subtle differences in the way each individual swims. There is no one-size-fits-all that truly fits correctly. If we stop trying to fit all the round pegs into square wholes we can enjoy the diversity that makes life shine!
14
Crazy long stuff...admirable.. as I have only done a couple 50ks and a R2R2R (40+) in the Grand Canyon....she is young enough (how old is she?) to set some records and then move on to other aspects of her life. Which will also be admirable in my eyes.
2
@ cheryl I think she is 33. I just hope, for her sake, she hasn't already done so much irreversible damage that the other aspects are possible when she gets around to them. I have so many thoughts about people who do these and quandaries about physical and mental issues that have nothing to do with gender.
3
@Jesse
I'm 70 years old and I did three of those 200-mile races last year. I assure you that no irreversible damage was done. I'm a much better runner this year than last, and I expect to be running all kinds of races for years to come.
6
What amazing grit, determination and endurance she has. Congratulations to her! I couldn't do it, nor do I want to, because life is already too short.
2
Some commenters wondered about her knees. I’d like to see her toes. How many toe nails she has and are they black? Anyway, great accomplishment.
1
Hey NYT...didn’t a guy name Kyle Curtain run AND WIN this race?
3
Hey @Gear Check, read all the way to the end. Spoiler, Kyle won this race and she came in second. However, she has won 11 others, so I think the title applies.
8
Innate strength advantage is not a thing. It’s a myth, so please stop using it.
1
@Dan Holton....what are you talking about? This isn't some controversial topic, it's a physiological reality. Men have higher levels of testosterone that increases their bone density and makes building and keeping muscle easier. Most women who dominate their fields tend to have hyperandrogenism, however their levels of testosterone still tend to be far less than the average male's. This isn't a social construct, everything is not subjective, quit being absurd.
5
@Travis If someone doesn't understand what I'm saying, how is it one feels rationally empowered to attack it? Yes, even you cannot change the meaning of innate, and failing such, you mislead other readers with long physiology words. But don't get me wrong, I'm for the physiology thing. Its just that words matter, and since things change, stop talking like its 50 years ago. To the contrary, the absurd thing is how people insist on perpetuating inequality and bias, while waxing eloquent on reality. You are out of your element, so this will end my comments.
1
@Dan Holton
I read your comment, and his, and you don't know what you are talking about.
Innate
adjective
inborn; natural.
Yes, there is such a thing as Innate Strength advantage. This is science. You should learn some.
This is the first line in a article on the subject.
"Athletic differences between men and women have much to do with innate characteristics determined by genetics and hormones."
This is why, for instance, a daughter born to athletically superior parents, would likely perform better than the son of parents who aren't at all athletically capable. She MIGHT be superior in sports, than the boy born into family where everyone is very short and very fat. I say might because the son may be an outlier among his relatives, as might the daughter. But odds are she would be a great athlete, while he would not.
When taking all men, and all women together, the reality is that men tend to be more physically strong then women. This has nothing to do with equality, because men are not equal anymore than apples and oranges are equal. Like apples and oranges, they have their unique characteristics that together, make this world better.
Whether you like it or not, men by birth, tend to have more physical strength than women. This is confirmed by science. It's nature not nurture. How far each take their natural ability beyond that, IS affected by nurture.
3
I congratulate anyone who can accomplish this. Amazing what the body and psyci can accomplish.
3
Absolutely amazing. I am questioning the sanity of the competitors since they aren't chasing food or running for their lives. Here is my conclusion. It's propaganda. It's amazing. No doubt. But consider the sample size. 1 woman. No science, all conjecture. Like anyone who tries to run 200 miles if they aren't being chased she is probably crazy but it is amazing.
1
The Times is nothing if not consistent.
2
Just a note: Court certainly embodies the essence of what an ultrarunner is and what ultrarunning is about. Claiming that ultrarunners are "typically asocial" just shows that the author mustn't be an ultrarunner.
5
I admire this woman. But I can’t help but wonder how much better she could compete if she weren’t bombarding her body with a junk-food diet.
19
While an athlete of this caliber surely pays very careful attention to nutrition (more than all the rest of us combined) it is important to remind the readers here that the primary purpose of food/eating is to provide energy.
Evidence of the dominance of energy content, over all other factors, is that you die much quicker due to starvation than malnutrition.
Athletes in particular, but all of us in general, must ensure our energy requirements first, followed by balance of macro and micronutrients. But, food “quality” while also important, is significantly less so.
Chasing a “perfect diet” is a fools errand. We all know a can of coke is not as good as a banana.
14
Before you comment about how unhealthy this is, please note that all of these arguments were used in the past against running Marathons or to prevent women from running long distance races.
9
@Balazs Koranyi
Those arguments were made because there is truth in them. 100 years ago, running marathons was much harder than it is today. Today, we have better nutrition, and sports science. The clothes and shows to run in are lighter, and far superior than in the past. The shoes also do far more to protect you than in the past...even the recent past.
The truth is, pushing to the extremes is hard on our bodies...all of us. However, each person has a different breaking point. This has been studied by scientists, extensively, and several militaries, including the U.S. Marines, and the Israeli Defense Force. Both found the same thing. Everyone is different, but women's bodies tend to break down faster, and more often. Twice as many women in the IDF study got injured, compared to their male counterparts.
This should not be used, however, to say that only men can succeed physically, because the important stats in the study are that some women did not get injured while some men did. And by injuries, they are talking about the body breaking due to the stress of the tasks to be performed.
This article does not consider strength-to-weight ratio difference that exists between men and women as an important factor. In other activities sheer mass and height of men are a distinct disadvantage-the energy to support larger mass becomes problematical physical issue. Just attend an advanced yoga class-stronger smaller women have a clear advantage as there is less weight to move around-the bigger they are the more often they fall. Ad to that the evolutionary necessity of being able to endure the process of bearing 9lb person a few times, and well, endurance races are definitely going to favor women.
2
I know a few ultra runners, part of our local group. I do not intend to try this but admire those who do. Best I have done is to cross the Grand Canyon (21.5 miles, but 5,000 feet down from the South Rim and 6,000 up to the North Rim). That was memorable: start in the dark, and run into sunrise in the Grand Canyon. Not recommended unless you are in good shape, because the down part is deceptively easy - it's getting back up, to either the South or North rims, that is the challenge.
5
@Planetary OccupantI have done the single crossings twice (less than 6 hours each time) and a double in 12:30. Yes you have to be in "good shape" but thousands of people do this every year. 200 mile runs, not so much!
2
I wonder what the cartilage in her knees looks like?
I am no athlete, but I had plenty of cartilage in my knees at 33, but at 53....not so much. I needed knee surgery for a meniscus tear and it did not heal well. I've never gotten back to that level of fitness in nearly 10 years, because I cannot run or gallop up & down stairs anymore.
Some of these folks -- and they are remarkable (but also kinda crazy) -- will end up absolutely crippled by osteoarthritis by their early 50s. I hope it is worth it to them.
4
@Concerned Citizen You mentioned something important--you are not an athlete. Running has not been shown to cause arthritis...and in fact, running strengthens the muscles and ligaments necessary to prevent knee problems for many people. You cannot compare you (NOT an athlete) with someone who is an athlete.
19
@Diana
Earl Campbell is in a wheelchair. He's my age. He literally wore out his body, doing feats of superhuman tenacity. I admire these ultra runners, but I fear they'll suffer a similar fate. My wife's knees are shot - bone on bone.
2
@Concerned Citizen Dauwalter listens to her body, so I'm pretty sure she'd do something about a problem before it turns chronic.
1
Most anthropologists and archeologist can provide research evidence from paleo kill and butcher sites indicating that many sites display female ribs and pelvic artifacts. Why.????.women as part of tribal survival......both killed and tracked, and at times out ran men due to their lung capacity and physical running adroitness.
Can’t wait to see how she does at Hardrock next year.
4
@Chris K. Me too! And Curtin too! I'll probably root for Curtin unless Dauwalter moves to Durango too.
These races are like a sport if anorexia is like a diet.
16
"mental strength and innate tolerance for pain help level the field"...
And they say women are the weaker sex. I genuinely believe that as society and humankind continue to evolve so will the clear dominance of women as the stronger, smarter rulers of the planet.
4
ready for women to run so much more (of the country, and of the trails).
Seems like Chris has an issue with this. U mad bro?
2
@Tess V
The NYTimes and other liberal media agree with you. Replacing one form of discrimination with another, is of course, progressive!
4
@Tess V....except for the fact that peer reviewed studies have reveiled that women all things being equal are just as stupid, and malign as men...never mind that the writer of this article has no idea of what they are talking about. Being a better runner has everything to do with both strength and level of cardio...hence the reason you see the vast majority of female professional runners being outclassed by their professional male counter parts...
1
Having come to ultrarunning in middle age after 35 yrs. on wrestling mats I'd like to encourage the unaware/ less-knowledgeable to give it an open-minded chance; I finished 150 ultras in my first 7 yrs. and, at 55, enjoy incredible health and have never felt better! Just sayin'...
16
@John Vanderpot And if John Vanderpot says it, you can be sure it's true. I know because, I'm proud to say, I'm his father!
3
@John Vanderpot
If I understand your math, you ran 21 ultras a year over a seven-year period? I'm going to assume that many of those were 50 milers as opposed to 100Ks or 100s, but still . . . . That's a lot of miles, and the reality is that for most of us, those miles will eventually take their toll. However, assuming that you are doing the bulk of your miles on dirt roads and trails, you're certainly better off than the typical runner who "pounds the pavement." In any event, you Sir, are an outlier! Keep it up!
Stories like this always beg the same question: where do people get the time and money to pursue stuff like this? Such a privileged, first world, white woman story. I mean, I have to work for a living, raise three kids and pay my bills. What is this all about except ego? Personally I think they're all freaks who are doing nothing to help society in any possible way.
Plus the set up of comparing the genders...what is this, 1950?
7
@green eyes
Helping society so much during the week I want these events to unwind. It’s only a weekend or two a year to race.
5
@green eyes
She was actually a full time teacher until after she made headlines as an ultrarunner. So, find someone/thing else to attack?
19
@green eyes I am an ultra runner... In fact, ran my first 150 miler this year. I'm so a mother of three and employed full-time. I run commute instead of drive... That helps a lot with the whole finding time piece of the equation. I save up for races and work hard to buy the related gear. Yes, I'm privileged. Most of us are. But hey, bash a strong woman for being an inspiration and showing us that we deserve a seat at the table.... That is real cool.
17
Got it. Of the lunatics in this particular lunatic set, a crazy woman happens to be faster than all the crazy men. And this has apparently led to debate among some people about whether there might be a sport where women have a natural advantage over men.
But I thought that's why they invented synchronised swimming!
5
@Abraham - please don't ever imply that synchronized swimming is a sport. Or synchronized *anything*, for that matter.
1
@Scott Hill Synchronized swimming is a performative sport in the same vein as ice skating and gymnastics. I've swum competitively for most of my life and also did a bit of synchronized swimming when I was younger. It's a lot harder than it looks. It's difficult to achieve the appearance of effortlessness that the top synchronized swimmers display. But go ahead and sneer at women's sports if it makes you feel more manly and superior.
7
@Abraham
Funny enough, she lost this race to a man...Kyle Curtain...but excellent point, there is a small subset of crazy people no sane person would risk death by pushing themselves like this with no sleep and exerting their body.
1
Why is the teaser for this article "Courtney Dauwalter specializes in extremely long races. But her success in winning them has opened a debate about how men’s innate strength advantages apply to endurance sports." Couldn't it have just as easily said "Her success in winning them..." Is the "but" really necessary? It downplays everything Dauwalter has achieved. Sad to see this was written by a woman, too.
11
Great story, what carried it for me were the photographs, simply stunning, especially the time-lapse one. Excellent.
5
I am a lay person with no special knowledge, but I was under the impression that at very long distances women's added fat stores and ability to tap this as an energy source was a benefit women had. Women usualky look a bit better at the end of the Olympuc marathons, and this has been mentioned. This was not mentioned here, leaving me to wonder abour it.
8
As a veteran ultrarunner, I enjoyed this article and am in awe of Courtney's talent and drive. But I do take issue with the writer's comment that ultrarunners are "typically asocial." Nothing could be further from the truth. Ultrarunning is a relatively small sport. We love to support each other and spend time together. There is much laughter and encouragement at every ultra race. Unlike many sports, elite ultrarunners tend to be humble, unassuming, friendly and supportive of those with less ability. I invite the writer to come to the race I direct near Denver on June 1, the North Fork 50 Mile/50K, to experience the comraderie of the ultrarunning community.
18
Nice article on Courtney. I'd like to make mention that it was my nephew, Kyle Curtin, who challenged her for the Tahoe 200 and won. Kyle is quoted, but I thought I'd add some personal information. He's 32, an Army vet, who lives and trains in Durango, CO. To fight boredom on deployments in Afghanistan, he would run long distances around the base. Several years ago, he and his father, Paul Curtin, hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in about 3 months. Kyle was born in Columbus, Ohio. He has won several 100-milers and we are very proud of him!
193
@Jeff Fistera a very impressive feat. Congratulations to him and we are all grateful for his service
8
@Jeff Fister - Thank you for sharing personal info about your nephew Kyle. I thank him for his service to our country and he sounds like a a good man. I love running, but have no desire to run that much, but what I do know is that runners are some of the mentally toughest people you will ever meet.
9
@Jeff Fister - The irony and waste of being paid to be bored in a war of choice not related to our security needs is not lost on this reader.
25
To each their own. Accomplishment and success are measured differently in each of us.
1
As a former, decent, marathoner and XC skier, I offer a slightly different take on the gender component of this piece and its comments.
For years, the relative difference between men's and women's performance in athletic events shrank (by percentage) as the length of event increased. All the ultra runners in this comment thread know of Ann Trason, the first woman to regularly beat men over longer distances.
Research hints that women have a different metabolic process, using glycogen more efficiently at sub-maximal effort. At the sub-maximal pace all ultra runners travel, the metabolic characteristics of women may become more advantageous as the distance or time increases. Extending these theoretical graph lines may suggest that at some unthinkable limit, the lines will intersect.
For the naysayers: Stay on your comfy couch while the rest of us are out testing limits and finding a dimension of life that is deeply satisfying. The renowned cardiologist George Sheehan, an early guru to distance runners, often noted that we are, despite our "sophistication," mammals - and it is our destiny, if we open ourselves to it, to move through our world.
I have never felt more alive than on a 22 mile run in a raging snowstorm on Xmas Eve in the 80's. I was absolutely alone, as the weather kept every human inside. As I passed the occasional flicker of light and puff of chimney smoke through the snow from a house, I smiled and felt a sense of total oneness with the universe.
48
@Barking Doggerel - agree totally with running alone in a heavy snowstorm. It can be incredibly peaceful and awe inspiring. I ran much longer than expected around our NJ town and my wife was just getting ready to go out with our dog to look for me when i returned home.
also, surprised at the comments concerning these runs being at a walking pace. These are often over rough terrain with huge altitude changes, not down a paced path
6
I just finished the article and i'm reading comments about who is better , men or women, and it definitely speaks to the competitiveness of this group of special people. All i can say is just when i thought i heard about something I thought was amazing , something even greater appears. Humans are awesome.
8
I don’t know why Ms Dauwalter is better than the men she seems to race against.
Maybe women are generally better at very long races.
Or maybe the men who might be better than Dauwalter have found other ways to destroy their bodies.
I know one thing... I certainly won’t try to beat her, nor would I recommend it to anyone.
1
Dog bites man: not news.
man bites dog: news
Man beats woman: not news
Woman beats man: news.
Now that that's settled, maybe we can focus on Courtney: a very impressive human being.
19
I dunno. I've long been a proponent of all extreme sports, including ultramarathons. With the death in July of Scotsman Don Ritchie, however, at just 73 from a heart attack likely precipitated by his type 1.5 diabetes mellitus, which he acquired as an adult likely as a result of destroying his immune system running with a severe respiratory infection setting a new record from John O'Groats to Lands End, I'm starting to question the wisdom of any animal, including men, women and children, driving their bodies to such lengths.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/01/obituaries/donald-ritchie-record-breaking-ultrarunner-is-dead-at-73.html
Many (well many Scots at least!) consider Don Ritchie to be the greatest ultrarunner of all time.
http://www.scottishdistancerunninghistory.scot/don-ritchie/
Only Yorkshireman George Littlewood, Greek-Australian Yiannis Kouros and South African Bruce Fordyce come close. And George Littlewood died at just fifty-three.
On the other hand, whatever we do, none of us can live for ever. So what if we die younger than we might otherwise have done if we had not thrashed ourselves so? Dying a lonely, bedridden death from Alzheimers in a carehome is no way to die either. And, of course, Ritchie might have developed diabetes anyway and died even younger without all his years of running.
So Children of the Storm, let us run, run, run before the wind. Until it is time for the Gods themselves to take us.
10
This is a surprisingly popular activity. If you are ever at the Grand Canyon on the first full moon in May, stop by the Bright Angel Trail at midnight. You will see a large number of people getting ready for the Grand Double: Down to the river and up to the North Rim and then back to the river and then back to the South Rim.
4
Would it be less of an accomplishment if we just put all these folks on treadmills and let them run till they dropped?
1
@Mary Ann Short and sweet answer: yes. In any case, running ultras on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym is a separate discipline with its own, largely unofficial and uncorroborated, record book of world, country, age and sex bests. Treadmill running doen't begin to compare to running on steep mountain trails, with rocks and roots, in the wind and the rain, or running in the desert, or running on hot tarmac or on tartan under the glare of the sun. The closest to running an ultra on a treadmill is running loops on a short indoor track. Very boring, very tedious. Think Jane Fonda in 'They shoot horses don't they?'
4
@Mary Ann Yes.
2
@Mary Ann Why would you wish this upon us!
1
She certainly earned that beer.
10
Seems like a lot of running in order to enjoy a
Big Mac and a few beers.
What does all this running do,
in the long run,
to their bodies ?
1
I don't get the point of this article or the misleading headline.
I doubt the characteristics for these type of races were "selected for" in evolution, as it has no connection to anything an ancient human or proto human would have done. Only modern humans with "first world problems" would attempt such an endeavor. The characteristics needed to succeed here are probably mostly a chance personal combination and not any thing determined by evolution.
And as the article notes, the sample size is small and we have no idea if the women in question are typical of females or are outliers.
3
@DH You should Read Born to Run. It breaks down the actual evolutionary reasons we can run these distances. Before farming we were hunter/gatherers. That required us to walk long distances to get food and survive. We actually used to hunt but running down our prey until exhaustion, because we, unlike animals can breath in and out despite out stride and can cool ourselves by sweating. Animals become over heated in long distances and fall prey to fatigue making them easy to kill. It really is very interesting. Long distance running is truly in our evolutionary DNA. We have just gotten fat and lazy and don't do it any more. Our food comes to us.
10
This woman is amazing. And a power of example for all athletes, women and men alike. Why is her dominance so unsettling? Don’t worry men, you still have 99.99% of sports.
7
@Patricia - why do you assume her achievement is unsettling? And what makes you think men "have" 99.99% of sports? Women are involved in sports, and they "own" them as much as the men. Please stop contributing to the false idea that there is some men vs. women conflict in sports.
"Dauwalter’s prowess has crystallized the debate about whether psychological fortitude can trump men’s innate strength advantages in endurance sports."
Why psychological exactly? Are there not other kinds of 'strength' than pure muscular?
4
Women often do better than men at extreme ocean swimming, such as Lynne Cox being the first to swim the 53-mile-wide Bering Strait:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Cox
If you had a race where the winner was simply the last person to die, i.e., a tontine, most of the winners would be women.
On the other hand, in the Olympic running distances from 100 meters to 26 miles, the gender gap is pretty consistently around 11% at all lengths.
13
Maybe Ultrarunners should take a nutrition course when they finish the days training run. It absolutely matters what you put in your body when its stressed. It's ridiculous to binge eat a bunch of garbage food. THAT is not healthy.
6
An interestng article for sure. It's good for her sport, Dauwalter is engaging. I've long thought of ultramarathoners as hard-nosed eccentrics.
It must be a wonderful experience to cover that much ground in such a short period of time.
The example of her hallucinations reminded me of joke Robin Williams made a while back. He said that you didn't need to spend loads of money on drugs for that far out experience. All you needed was a pair of running shoes to achieve a runner's high.
3
An inspiring article! And one observation: at least this is an endurance event that risks no one but the participant. Challenges such as mountain climbing, which depend on a hazardous rescue if the worst happens, have always seemed elitist and self-indulgent to me.
4
What a lovely article about a dedicated athlete! Bravo - very inspiring! NYT - keep these stories coming!
5
It's not necessarily gender that is the determinant, or testosterone, or muscle, or lung capacity, or psychological toughness...it's strength to weight ratio. Very fit women have more muscle than average but are still generally smaller and lighter than the men. The smaller you are the less weight you're hauling around. You're not working as hard as a heavier person. Especially when you add in running up hills. Ask yourself who can climb a tree faster? A lumberjack or a boy scout?
6
I love to run and Nordic ski, and have completed 20 marathons in my younger years. So I'm all about endurance races. But there's something decidedly unhealthy about these extreme competitions -- when your corneas are swelling and you're hallucinating, that can't be good for you in the long run.
123
@bauskern I've been doing ultras for 35 years and still I'm still waiting on the negative long-term effects health effects to show up. Die fit.
32
I have an impression that these very long, very high endurance runs are a new frontier in defining, let alone understanding, what's called "endurance". The sheer ability to keep going, and functional, working to a specific goal, has to be more than muscle.
For example, some people who do physical labour aren't as big or as strong as others, but achieve more in the same time. Better physical economics? Better mindset? Or simply great conditioning for that environment? Or maybe even unrecognized physical attributes? Some people seem to get better values out of rest than others, too, and are literally rejuvenated by it, for whatever reason.
Let me suggest another type of race - A race in which the competition is to be in the best shape after it. Might be very informative.
19
We can’t say women are better that men in sports that require extreme endurance just base on one person’s story. We need to have more data to draw the conclusion. Ms. Dauwalter’s story shows us if you are good at something, with persistence, you can achieve it doesn’t matter what gender you are.
5
Courtney is absolutely spectacular!!! Thanks for featuring her awesome work!
12
Way down at the end of the article, it notes that the Tahoe 200 was not just 200 miles, but also about 40,000 feet of climbing! We live not far, and enjoy hiking in the mountains, yet we rarely reach 20,000 feet over an entire summer. One of our highlights this year was encountering the Tahoe 200 participants about midway through the event. Phenomenal!
20
Ms. Dauwalter is amazing, especially at staying motivated, sane,awake and nourished.
4.2 mph is a slow jog. The record for the marathon is 26.2 miles in 2hr 2 min= 13 mph! Best sprinters hit 23 mph,
9
@Andrew Mitchell There isn't a sprinter or marathoner alive that can MAINTAIN that speed 200 miles. You are comparing apples to oranges. Sprinters hit 23 MPH ...for about a quarter of a mile. SMH
3
@Jennifer Exactly. She is a great apple.
4 mph is a very fast walk, that most people could do for 100 yards.
2
So many non-runners athletes here. I can see how jealous and uneducated they are about the human body and health and fitness in general.
10
I hope such superhuman stress does not effect her fertility
1
@Tiger shark It will definitely affect her fertility--at least her ability to menstruate while training, but why are you assuming that she cares? And why do you care about her fertility?
8
@Tiger shark whether it does or it doesn't, why does it matter? This article has nothing to do with procreation.
8
@Tiger shark would you ask a man that question?
3
I am always interested to read about the early humans who migrated across continents and endured severe conditions to do it. Reading about these ultra-runners and the amazing things they can do gives me some insight how our ancestors could have achieved what they did.
9
@Madeline Conant Long-distance running is a long lost evolutionary trait that we haven't used in the past thousand years or so. It's a shame really.
5
@William Smith You mean not in the US, right? There are African cultures full of long distance runners.
4
I am intrigued by the notion that nature may give women an advantage in ultra long distance torture sessions. Since no one has done this until recently, the data is still trickling in. It may yield deeper insights, and maybe truths, about women in general, and in particular, the unbelievable fortitude of those who are able to compete, and actually want to.
5
@Tiger shark
"
It may yield deeper insights, and maybe truths, about women in general, and in particular, the unbelievable fortitude of those who are able to compete, and actually want to. "
So true. Well said.
3
This probably won't be a popular sentiment but...is this healthy? I'm not even talking about gender. I'm asking: Is it healthy for humans (whether male or female) to do this? Honestly, it seems almost like obsessive-compulsive behavior to run and run and run and run...
34
@Anne Long-Distnace running causes high cortisol levels(stress hormone).
Athletes do not do extreme "challenges" such as this for health. They do it for other intrinsic motivations
5
I think there is definitely an obsessive aspect to these races. I have been in Kona Hawaii several times during the Ironman competition and the competitors of that event often come across as obsessive compulsive. This kind of extreme aerobic activity also has been shown to suppress the immune system. I sure admire the absolute grit of the competitors of these type of events!!
6
@Anne Great question! For a well trained runner it is not unhealthy necessarily. Like anything in life, you can do it in a way that is unhealthy. This applies to everything though. For ultra athletes, they train for these events and their bodies are prepared for the stresses. No, it's not healthy like a salad is healthy but it causes stress that the body adapts to and grows stronger in response to. All training is stress + recovery = stronger (to simplify it). One doesn't just go out and run 200 miles hard, they work up to it in most cases.
5
She lives at a fairly high altitude, I don't know where her races all take place but Moab is 1650 ft lower than her home in Golden. Would that have anything to do with it?
3
And to think I didn’t have to even take a single step to have some of those same hallucinations at a Grateful Dead concert in 1970 at Winterland in SF.
64
Why does the Times publish an article under a title/byline that’s all about how she compares to men. Why is it so hard for people to accept excellence in someone who doesn’t happen to be a man?
47
@Zoe
It's because one of the Times' agendas is to praise women's sports and women athletes and to compare them favorably with men. You don't even have to look at the sports section regularly to become aware of it.
2
Ann Trason anyone?
14
@Chris She should be remembered for the many outright wins. Good call, Chris.
@Chris
Camille Herron anyone?
1
Hey @NYTimes you may find that ultrarunners are the most friendly, supportive, and social community you will ever meet. "... is the opposite of a typically asocial ultrarunner" makes absolutely no sense
22
@Ryan and "Ultrarunners often wear heart rate monitors, stay on strict training schedules and adhere to specific diets." ?! I think the author is confusing them with triathletes haha
1
W-O-W
4
My 3 closest friends and I trained together and ran trails in the western US,for many years, including 50 and 100 milers. These were our greatest times with a bond forged that endures to this day. Unfortunately only one of our group is still trail-running and he finished the Tahoe 200 last year. I have a bad hip, another a bad knee and a third friend a bad back, all likely exacerbated by our years of running. While this may seem to make no sense to a non-runner,none of us look back with any regrets, and we truly relish those times on the trails- a special kind of peace.
20
Lets be honest, ultra-running is not really "running" in the true sense of the sport. It's like comparing a hotdog eating contest to a gourmet restaurant experience. It's wogging, as in walking with some jogging for the top performers and for the mid-packers and people taking up the rear, its very slow walking with lots of eating. If you don't believe me, go watch one. I've never seen so many fat out of shape people on a starting line of a distance event as I did when I watched the Leadville 100 several years ago. Participants are more concerned with their accoutrements like wearing vests stuffed with sports gels and energy bars, than getting in actual shape for the event. And I guess why would they, since the best ultra-runners cover around 4-5 miles per hour which is a steady to brisk walking pace. Plenty of experienced Appalachian & Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers can travel faster than that with 18-35 pounds of gear on their backs. Just saying.
4
@Shawn Delaney you’re very welcome to come and try and beat me at a trail race over 26.2 put here. I have. 4:40 mile to go with what I do over 30 miles. Cheers, brother.
14
I'm guessing Shawn Delaney has never experienced the ineffable joy of running an ultra, still less the ineffability of Leadville. That is, of course, fine; an ultra is not for everyone and it takes all kinds.
One cruises along for hours at a time, while the landscape undulates below and the light in the sky hovers from pole to pole, light now dark then back from whence it came. For miles on end, hour after hour, you hear only the breeze in your ears or your own occasional grunt and perhaps a sigh and you cruise on and on. There are episodes of comradeship--you pass some folks by, or they pass you; just a few jocular words, words of woe or exhilaration, or just some matter of factness in between. It's an experience of a lifetime, like a child's fifth birthday or a mom's eightieth. Something not to be missed, like a good night's sleep. When you recall the finish line, you remember a mirage of fragmented memories, late at night ones, cold, chilly middle of the night mornings, damp with sweat, as you huff and puff down the last quarter of mile, and on across the finish line, free at last, you say, I'm free at last and I'm never doing that again. And then, one day . . . .
12
Within two years I guarantee you will have done one, because of your competitive nature, sense of superiority, curiosity and desire to prove something to others. You may even be better than most because of your understanding of nutrition. Then you will probably become hooked on what is obviously and addictive pursuit. Good luck and enjoy!
I am astonished by the human spirit. Hers, not mine.
16
As much as I'd like to be able to congratulate Courtney for her accomplishments, I believe that these "ultra-marathons" are very bad for the long-term health of those who participate in them. I don't think we should be supporting people to harm themselves like this.
4
@Oakbranch so are marathons. And many other actitives.
1
@Oakbranch What's really bad for the health of many Americans, for short and long-term health, is LACK of exercise combined with a processed-high calorie-food-laden diet. I teach nursing school and calm my students, who are stressed about learning pharmacology for clinical rotations, by telling them "don't worry, most of your patients will be on at least a few similar medications for disorders that have modifiable risks that haven't been modified: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and quite likely an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication as well" (the latter are often needed regardless of lifestyle, but evidence-based research demonstrate that proper diet and exercise do assist with relief of symptoms for both disorders).
18
@NMV-I agree with your statement about proper diet and exercise can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, ADHD and chronic pain. I am very active and fit, but have always struggled with a sugar addiction. I take meds for ADHD but not for anxiety because the exercise helps keep that at bay, but when I go off of processed sugar, it is amazing how awesome I feel. I feel calm, organized, energetic and any inflammation I have in my joints from running tends to be minimized. It is almost like mania, only there is no come down (I think for many people without mental health issues this is a normal feeling, hit for those like me, being able to acccomish simple tasks and enjoy doing it and still have time to chill is a big deal) in that I am so organized I can get multiple tasks done and actually enjoy the process. Also, processed foods and cheap chocolate and candy start tasting nasty after a few days. Also, I eat less too. Now why I ever get back in sugar is the question.
5
Lots of triggered males in the comments - none of whom could keep up with Dauwalter. I suspect there's a connection.
47
@James Demers
You could not be more wrong about that. All the male ultrarunners I know have the highest respect for female ultrarunners, even if they get beaten by them. That is not an issue at all.
12
@James Demers - "triggered males" is a contradiction in terms. Real men don't get "triggered" or compare themselves to women or any of that weak progressive nonsense. Real men are happy to see achievement like this, and happy to see someone breaking records. It degrades Dauwalter's amazing accomplishments when people try to turn this into a men vs. women thing.
1
I'm not sure that Ms. Dauwalter wins these races because her body is fit to have a baby. But, if she were able to have twenty babies, I could make sense of that.
1
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Frau Dauwalter !!!
5
I'm a big fan of Courtney; I'm a bigger fan of Camille Herron who is also racing this weekend at Desert Solstice. My money is on Camille to win and set a new WR
5
Congratulations to all atheletes who perform at this level. It is amazing. Question: Why do this?
4
@jean valliere
Why do anything ? For the enjoyment, for the challenge, for the competition, for the satisfaction
of overcoming difficulty and persevearing.
6
@jean valliere fun to us
2
Congrats to Ms. Dauwalter. I ran in one marathon many years ago, didn't do very well but was ecstatic when I crossed the finish line. Never again! I thought.
Regarding the ability of women to compete head-to-head, there must be a huge amount of data that can either corroborate this claim, or refute it. The fact that one woman can beat a limited number of men in a handful of competitions is impressive, but statistically almost meaningless.
4
I am confused. I thought that the NYT concluded long ago that the distinction between male and female was arbitrary and socially constructed?
13
But now one woman, in a sport that very few participate in, has beaten a man - that means woman are stronger than men mentally. Didnt you read the article?
7
women hold long distance swimming records too
9
@slightlycrazy Free-Diving, too
3
The pathetic need to trumpet every supposed potential superiority of the female gender over the male gender while exercising studious silence and even suppression regarding all the areas where males can quite convincingly be argued to be significantly superior in both realms physical and mental is a curious feature of our modern environment. Ironically, this preoccupation is going to run into some headwinds now that the whole concept of "gender"is being questioned more and more. All this boosterism and triumphalism for every perceived "female" achievement looks out of place in an even newer world where the binary split betweem male and female is increasingly questioned and seen as outdated.
9
@Belasco: The pathetic need to trumpet supposed male superiority over the female gender in every conceivable comparison is what's really curious.
55
@James Demers I want to kiss you!
12
@Belasco "Suppression" of male superiority? Are you kidding me? It's all we hear about - that's why this piece is so fascinating - and exactly why people like you are so up in arms! It's going against YOUR narrative.
21
Let's cut to the chase. Women are more endurance, stability and due to childbirth, statistically live longer than men, so they are overall a surreme human.
9
@Gary Ludwig - Let's hope they are also better with grammar and spelling.
2
I ran a marathon once. My time was fairly slow, but I did finish, and now I've got bragging rights for the rest of my life.
I can't imagine ever wanting to do that again!!!!!
7
It's unethical for any organization or community to sponsor, promote, or coordinate such insanity. It's no different than a contest to see who can walk over burning coals, whip themselves with a scourge, or starve themselves longer. Torture is a personality disorder even when applied to oneself.
Enduring torture proves nothing other than mental health issues extend across a spectrum of extremes of every behavior. One shouldn't have to prove themselves nuts to get help for being nuts. Look at the eyes of the contestants shown. Nuts. Communities that somehow profit from these events should question the cost / benefit of everyone to enable such displays of lifestyle so alternative as to be incompatible with life.
14
@larkspur
All endurance sports look like torture from the couch.
Anyone who participates in them finds friendship, support and community, as well as an intense feeling of well being.
I intensely miss participating (never competing) in endurance events, as age and the physical events appertaining to age teal the capability.
10
@larkspur
So people (typically guys) who play football, where there is nearly a 100 % injury rate and they bash their brains in week after week until they've got soup inside their head are ok? Because a lot of people pay them an awful lot of money to play. And a lot of people pay an awful lot of money to watch them. Is their lifestyle really compatible with life? How about boxing? NASCAR? Mountain climbing? The list could go on forever...
12
The people engaging in this "sport" are going to kill themselves with this extreme activity. But, they will die running, and that's a good way to go.
4
@TH
I dunno, having a massive coronary while sitting on the couch binge watching Game of Thrones surrounded by one's beloved Nacho bags sounds pretty awful to me.
6
@ Running marathons saved my life. Additional blood vessels to my heart muscle took up the strain when my left descending artery plugged up. At 82 I can still handle a gentle 8k walk run. My best was a 30 miler.
11
@crystal Yes. That's why he said dying while running was a good way to go. You're so defensive your assuming people are arguing with you even when they're not.
Her diet sounds horrible. I wonder how long she can keep that up and stay healthy.
5
@JG When you start running one hundred miles per week, you too can eat whatever you want. Good Lord, why is it so hard for people to see beyond their pet causes?
14
@JG
Speedgoat Karl Meltzer, who has won more 100 mile races than anyone else, is a notorious junkfood junkie and is still winning 100 milers at age 50.
6
@Rob Diet is not my "pet cause," but I think common sense tells us that a bad fat-saturated diet will eventually catch up to most people, regardless of how far they run.
1
Good for Rebecca Byerly - the article quotes Heather Heying, professor in exile from Evergreen State and wife of Bret Weinstein. Either Byerly is open-minded or she didn't know who she was talking to.
1
First, these folks is all a bit crazy, no?
Beyond that, you have a sample size of one. Dauwalter's accomplishments are rather large. But to try to reach conclusions about an entire gender based on an individual? Come on, NYT, dost thou not know better?
Besides, does it really matter? We already are plagued with identity politics. Are identity ultramarathons next?
8
I have a Dutch friend who rode the entire Tour de France route nonstop in 10 days. He describes climbing the Tourmalet at 3 am and descending other HC climbs in pitch black. The route was around 4,000 kilometers and he said hallucinations was the worst part. One night he passed a French post office and turned into the parking lot. When his support team asked him what he was doing and he said that he needed to pick up a package, they made him sleep then and there.
This guy also rode Paris-Brest-Paris which is 1,200 kilometers in 50 hours. He didn’t sleep but put his head on his handlebar and closed his eyes once to reset. Just 22, he finished 20 minutes behind the first American, Jan Heine, that year in weather that the official brevet results called “very difficult: rainy, windy.”
8
@Hollis- Amazing story. Your friend rode the tour route in half the days the pros took! It's also worth mentioning that he would have had to contend with full exposure to the wind, whereas the pros are often sheltered in the peloton. Note-For readers unfamiliar with cycling terms 'HC' means H'ors Categorie used to describe a mountain course that is so steep and long that it is beyond the usual system of classification as a #2/3/4 etc.
3
Why is this even worth writing about? The fortitude of women over men? The sheer masochism of first world inhabitants who need to punish or prove themselves for no obvious reason? I’m sure people in prehistoric times ran miles and miles chasing for food, water or shelter- women included.
6
The statement "the physical advantage of men would fade with the length of a race" is unmitigated untenable. If you look at the world records of 100 meter, you see the women are 10 % slower. If you look at the half marathon respectively marathon it is approximately around 12/13 %. So the gap is even increasing. If you look to ultras, the pictures could become a little bit distorted, since outliers occur in a non professional environment much more often. But look to the UTMB, the most coveted and competitive ultra in the world. The men winner is approximately 15 % faster then the first woman. So do you see the direction. It is growing and and not shrinking. So, please check the facts beforehand and meet the standard who is supposed to be of the NYTimes.
6
this appears to be US-only article
I read that sprint races are typically won by West Africans with fast-twitch muscles, and marathons are typically won by East Africans with slow-twitch muscles.
So I'm wondering how she'd compare to the typical winners of marathon races from East Africa.
3
Sounds like some folks have too much time on thrir hands. Why not run to do volunteer work or help people in need.
I bet the caravan trying to rin to their freedom thinks this has got to be a bad joke
1
@Marie werner
I would not take the leap of presuming to know her, and suggesting her time could be better spent elsewhere. She may serve others in ways you are unaware of.
13
@Marie werner I think it is a slippery slope anytime we attempt to judge the contributions an individual or group makes to this world based on their "hobby." Very few of us, no matter how altruistic, spend their every waking hour in service to humanity. There are many ways to squander a life and there are many ways to contribute. Ultrarunners are no better and no worse than any other group.
11
Pregnant women in some cultures toil in rice fields, stop to deliver a baby alone, and then strap the baby to themselves and continue to work until the sun set. It doesn't surprise me that they excel in this sport.
4
@TFL These are nonsense stories. Childbirth is a major thing in every culture, because it is equally hard and dangerous for every (female) member of the human race. (We humans have extremely big heads.) Many women die or are crippled in the process without adequate medical assistance. Again: These are nonsense stories. Do not repeat them.
8
Women are just tougher and more focused than men when it comes to this kind of pain. I try to do a long run every weekend on the local rail trail. When the weather is cold and windy I see few men out there, but the women are running.
4
Here is some research on the subject.
A review of existing studies published in the journal "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise", found women are more resistant to muscle fatigue than men during long efforts. Women were able to perform a task until failure almost three times longer than men, 23.5 minutes versus 8.5. This is due largely to two factors. The first is the difference in muscle properties between the sexes—women have a greater number of fatigue-resistant fibers, while men have faster-contracting fibers. The second factor is men have larger muscles that demand more blood, so their hearts have to work harder.
Other research indicates women recover faster from exertion than men, regardless of the intensity of the effort.
Female endurance athletes also have a metabolic edge, by deriving more of their energy from fat. This is an advantage in longer events, as fat is a slower-burning fuel than carbohydrates. Men must consume calories hourly, if not more frequently—an action that itself requires more energy than simply metabolizing available fat—women can keep trucking along.
Women are also better at pacing. Danish statistician Jens Jakob Andersen’s massive marathon study, found female runners pace 18.6 percent better than males. “Men are more likely to adopt a ‘risky’ pace where an individual begins the race with a fast early pace (relative to their ability), and this increases their likelihood of slowing later,” Anderson wrote in his analysis.
26
And yet at the top levels, 99 times out of 100 a man still wins.
1
And, folks, here to weigh in on Vicky's detailed research citation is Neal, offering his *expert* armchair estimate. Great work, son!
5
She must be an incredible outlier. Every year, the winning time in the leading marathons for men is substantially better than that for women. Having a separate race segregated by gender protects women. If that is not the case, then open up all sports to both (or all) genders and aggregate the prize money or salaries.
5
@Wine Country Dude.....You miss the point. It would seem that the longer the race, the closer women come to the times set by men
7
@Wine Country Dude This is about stuff a bit longer than a marathon. Did you read the article at all? Hmm?
4
@Wine Country Dude
Neither of you responded to my point or attempted to explain why universal experience with marathons would be reversed for this type of running. If this reversal is widespread, then other female runners should be replicating it. This woman is an extreme outlier.
What do you have to fear from eliminating gender segregation in spotts?
Get rid of separate but equal. Unify sports. If women can be combat soldiers they can compete in athletics. No more women’s sports. Let them get the recognition they deserve. Equality for all. Who could be against it?
4
Women are not mentally stronger or better than men. The fact that women outlast men in long distance swimming (not mentioned in this article, but nevertheless true, see my other comment) and running, most likely has a simple physiological reason.
In case of swimming, the idea was that higher fat reserves gave women more buoyancy. Well, I think we can ditch that theory, now that it seems long distance running shows the same pattern of women outperforming men.
A higher capacity to burn fat instead of carbohydrates, or some thing like that, seems a more likely candidate.
And please don't bring in the "evolutionary psychology" nonsense. That "science" is no more than conjuring up stories to back up your favorite prejudices.
(Women are mentally strong, because they give birth. Men have a strong sense of direction, because they were hunters etc. etc. ) Mind you, most of these supposed differences between the sexes are minute if nonexistent.
5
Dauwalter is such a great athlete and an inspiration to many people. Keep it up Courtney!
17
great article... I found the men vs. women debate the least interesting thing about this article... Courtney your impressive and inspiring
10
I have no evidence of this and have never done research to back it up, so please read this as "my idea that is just a thought–a musing!"
I believe our minds are very powerful, even more powerful than we can fathom. I believe part of the reason women are outperformed by men, is that we are told that we will always be second. That it is "nature". I wonder what women would be able to do if the dialogue was "equality"? Would lab tests be different? Would race results be different? I wonder.
I also wonder–the sports that women and men get judged in are, for the most part, sports invented by men. They test very specific types of strength, encourage certain types of emotional fulfillment and all carry historical memories with them. I do feel like running, which is something all humans have done throughout out evolution, is alone in being a sport that could almost be neutral.
Like I said, this is simply a musing of mine. But every time I read an article about an incredible woman athlete and there is the inevitable subtext of "men are scientifically stronger etc etc", I always bristle a little bit. How do we really know? The psychological burden of hearing this over and over again is real....and I wonder what would happen if that stopped being part of the dialogue around women athletes.
31
I swear, no matter what the topic is that brings it up, discussions about advantages or disadvantages related to gender, or why one gender outperforms another in some way, always end up arriving at the subjects of both hunting and child bearing.
6
The true magnitude of Courtney's talent is hard to overstate. I also ran the Tahoe 200 this past September. I'm a solid ultrarunne, with multiple 100-mile mountain race finishes, a personal record (PR) of 11 hours at the challenging Miwok 100km race in Marin County, a three-hour road marathon PR, and significant adventure running experience. It took me over 96 hours to finish the Tahoe 200 -- around twice as long as Courtney. Her accomplishment is astounding.
122
@Jason M. Thompson, PhD Yes, you're absolutely correct! Her accomplishments are absolutely amazing, and it's great to see her getting attention in the NYT. I too am quite fit, run ultras (most recently completed Leadville 100 in 24 hours). It's difficult to wrap my head around how quick, and strong mentally she is.
24
@Ronnie Great job at Leadville. Is there a 200- miler in your future?? (:
7
One difference for male and female runners is the "pee" challenge. Male ultra-marathoners practice the art of peeing on the run!
https://www.news24.com/You/Archive/this-is-how-marathon-runners-have-a-sneaky-pee-during-a-race-20170728
And women do the quick side-squat pee:
https://saltlakerunning.com/how-to-pee-on-a-run-for-women
Wonder how much this difference affects final race times?
2
I have seen a woman in labor for 36 hours and then deliver a baby with out medical intervention. We women are designed to carry our children, forage for food and fight off attackers all at once and for sustained periods. Women had to have a lot of stamina to protect and provide for their offspring. Men are designed to hunt down animals and then rest. If women rested completely when their children were young, they might risk losing them to an animal attack.
8
It is often said on many parameters that women out-do men. I don't compete with women in any field but have found from experience that men become protective when and where necessary of women, particularly where they may be physically threatened...believing perhaps falsely that women can't hold their own in violent situations. This finely articulated and photographed article (love that time-exposure shot) gives insight into not just human physical endurance but also into the machine that drives us all into super-human physical achievement...the will of the mind, even if it does warp to allow new dimensions of supporters on swings and rocks. I don't normally get too immersed in sports-stories but this article gives insight into much more. It actually transported me to images of Neanderthal days when men and women had little option but to run fast and long to survive. Couldn't help musing with the concept of which gender would be way out in front if the tribe was suddenly confronted with a sabre-tooth tiger.
7
Great article about a great athlete.
She's obviously extremely strong with amazing endurance and commitment which will carry her very far in anything she applies it to.
But the idea that a woman is stronger or has greater endurance than a man at ultra-distance-anything, is a myth.
That doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions to the rule.
And clearly some women are stronger and tougher than some men, AND, this woman is clearly an example of a very strong, very tough, very focused competitor who has achieved and earned greatness.
But they idea that a women, for any reason, are stronger and or have more stamina than men, at ultra-long-distances, is false.
That aside, this is still a super great story about the incredible sport of ultra-distance trail-running, which is so much more difficult than urban-metro marathons. For anyone that can afford and or justify it, it's an incredible lifestyle that generates extraordinary strength and health.
Pushing ones self to these extreme limits is beyond brutal. But done with the proper training and recovery, the long-term health benefits in strength and endurance gains are massive.
Thanks for a great article about this extraordinary athlete.
The miles she's logged in these events are astonishing.
12
@Fortitudine Vincimus.
Calling something a myth or false is fine as long as you back up your point of view with evidence. This case may be an outlier, but the real proof in terms of endurance and mental and physical fortitude is what happens to men and women during and after disasters. That is the endurance of true survival. Or the survival of true endurance.
13
excellent post, I personally think that her schedule is beyond demanding, as a famous long distance runner who I can't remember died of a heart attack. There is a limit to what the body can endure.
@Gary Ludwig Was it Jim Fixx?
1
Quite a change from the 1950s, when we girls had to play half-court, three-dribble basketball because girls were not considered physically strong enough to run the full court.
89
In 1969, I ran high school track as a 17-year-old. “Distance running” for girls was a quarter-mile.
It would be too difficult for girls to run more than a quarter-mike then.
10
@M Anderson
I remember that too. They thought our uterus would fall out or something . . .
I feel joy at seeing women fulfill their potential, now that they have the opportunity.
Go sisters, go!
7
When I was a kid girls were confined to small spaces and half courts for PE, but it wasn’t really an accommodation for the girls, it was so they could give the bulk of the athletic space to the boys. In retrospect it was appalling.
5
I ran a number of ultras and worked in aid stations for many more and never met an "asocial ultrarunner". Socialization before, during, and after events is the norm. Entrants typically enter the same races for years and forge friendships borne of common interests and effort.
27
@Bitter Herb Yes! The trail ultra community is amazing, and I have made so many great friends while running mountain ultras. One of the things I definitely look forward to most when signing up.
3
@Bitter Herb
Thank you for sharing that ! My thoughts exactly. Deep friendships are formed in the ultra-running community..nothing at all anti-social if you are part of it.
3
The debate over how sexual dimorphism (the fact that male and female physiology is different) should be handled in athletic competition has had a long history.
There are prominent differences in the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and immune systems of males and females.
But, on top of the body that an individual has, there is always the additional component of training and mental toughness.
It would be interesting if physiologists take measurements of ultra runners during races to see if there are any physical traits that are particularly useful in ultra marathon endurance.
I'm curious as to whether women on average are better able than men to pull a last bit of energy from fat reserves on their bodies and whether there is any pain-processing difference that kicks in during periods of prolonged distress. Some studies have indicated that this may be the case.
Long distance swimmers have often been women, and it has been suggested that's because of the advantage of having a bit more body fat to increase buoyancy and body warmth.
10
@Heather
I looked at the pictures and I couldn't see one ounce of "fat" on this runner. I don't think after running 200 miles that there is any truth to females having more bulk than a male runner.
This story is really inspiring. Regardless of which gender is faster, it takes a lot of will power and determination to complete an ultra marathon at any speed.
47
I think this kind of determination is remarkable and reminds me the power of the human will is immeasurable. I was debating whether to ride my bike to the gym today instead of driving; not anymore!
38
Hi All,
I am surprised no one did any research to challenge the article's premise, and that some are even saying "I'm not thinking there is any debate here. Women are far better equipped than men for extreme endurance"
There is a debate, as the article itself points out, and most experts disagree with the hypothesis. Yes, it is very impressive that Courtney Dauwalter has won, outright (1st overall, not only 1st woman), some of these very long races. But many of those have not been the most prestigious ultra races. At Western States 100 miler (one of the most competitive), where she ran fantastic, was 1st female, and almost set the woman's course record, she was 12th overall and 3 hours behind the top male.
Now of course people start saying: but, that race is "ONLY" 100 miles. We are talking about REAL endurance, ya know, around 200 miles or so. Well.....the world records for 24 hour and 48 hour runs (the top man covered 188 miles for the former, and then close to 300 miles for the latter) are 15% better (more distance covered) for man vs woman. This is actually a LARGER difference than you will see in comparison of men's vs women's sprint or middle distance running records.
So women are better at ultra-endurance than men, and these are the events where men's inherent physical differences will disappear? If so, it has not been demonstrated to be true just yet, and there aren't truly signs that it will become true. But the best women can beat all but the very best men.
75
Is it wrong if I walk away, after reading the article, asking "Why???"
138
@JYK
As Louis Armstrong once said, when asked about the meaning of jazz:
"If you gotta ask, you ain't never gonna know"
15
@JYK I think your answer is in the unmistakable expression of triumph and jubilation on the victor's face.
That and an addiction to autonomously-derived endorphins.
4
Because it’s there!
5
This is amazing. But, is it healthy? If you are hallucinating your body is trying to tell you something. To each his own...
26
@P Morgan
In the end what makes you happy and does not hurt anyone else is healthy as long as you know and accept the risk to benefit ratio.
@P Morgan ... and go temporarily blind? Ouch!
1
Great story -- and photographs.
6
Going blind? Swelling corneas? Hallucinations? Hypothermia Voluntary yes, but objectively damaging to the body. It's really a shame that this slowly self-destructive "sport" is reinforced and aggrandized. I hope that Ms. Dauwalter lives long enough to reconsider her options.
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@David Hartman
People make choices every minute of every day about how to balance their physiological needs with happiness and fulfillment. There is no one formula for a successful life, and certainly the relatively arbitrary parameter of "length of life" I would argue does not necessarily have anything to do with the subjective quality of one's life nor an objective sense of whether or not a life was well-lived.
28
@David Hartman
Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon: "The Greeks would have regarded our modern marathon as a grotesque contest, too specialised, requiring too much training – not what a gentleman should spend his time doing. Perhaps that is why they could only explain what Pheidippides and the other Men of Marathon achieved by regarding it as somehow divine." (https://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/the-real-story-of-the-marathon)
Humanity owes its environment-adaptive success not simply to the potential for higher intellect, but to the willingness to engage that intellect in attacking extreme challenges. Mountain climbers risk fatal pulmonary oedema, while competitive breath-hold divers risk unconsciousness and death. Christa McAuliffe (the first high school teacher in space (Space Shuttle Challenger)) and Barry James Marshall (drank H. Pylori broth to test causes of stomach ulcers and won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for) accepted calculated risks in the quest for adventure and knowledge. Ms. Dauwalter’s adverse symptoms hopefully are not permanent, but, as with these other pioneers, her efforts may have put us on the path to greater understanding, here of the dependence (or independence) of physical strength and extreme cardiovascular stamina.
10
I could think of worse ways to die.
13
Ms. Dauwalter consistently wins 200 mile co-ed races; Ms. Dauwalter is a woman; at 200 miles, a woman is faster than a man.
Despite this fact, those interviewed feel it appropriate to make excuses for men losing to a women (e.g. 100+mile races are "less competitive"). Oddly, nobody feels it necessary to make excuses for women's slower 100m or marathon times, despite female athletes being consistently denied equal opportunities, encouragement and resources to train over the last century. (In fact, more equal training since 1972 -the year title ix was introduced -has decreased the gap between female and male runners to less than a second in the 100m dash)
Men are not inherently stronger or faster. Professional athletes and Olympian runners are competing in a class of their own; a class where no ordinary man or woman would come close to being competitive in a physical fight or foot race. In other words, the fastest and strongest people in the world are both male and female, and, sorry to say it, the majority of the people in the world are relatively slow and weak (regardless if they are female or male).
What is happening is that gendering (assigning masculine and feminine characteristics to people) encourages us to view physical speed and strength in terms of men and women and not on their basic scale: fast and slow, strong and weak.
42
That second is more than 10%, a figure that only grows (to 15%) on these ultra marathons.
1
@scott
Yes, men are inherently stronger and faster than women, and denying this is a sad product of trying to give women equal opportunity (which they should all have). A woman can be faster than most or nearly all men, but the fastest man will always be faster than the fastest woman. Same with strength. Look at every strength and endurance world record available. This is not sexist, and there are no excuses required. The reason this article is even written is because in this specific context it's a huge anomaly that deserves attention.
5
Courtney Dauwalter is by far the best female US ultrarunner in the moment. No question about that.
Women might pace themselves a bit better than men but they are not superior to men in these races. They only win because the male competition is not that strong. This is just a biological fact and should not take anything from Courtney Dauwalter's accomplishments.
She had a long successful 2018 and I wish her the best for her last race this weekend.
9
@Two in Memphis
'Courtney Dauwalter is by far the best female US ultrarunner in the moment. No question about that.'
Actually, Camille Herron is! I'm a big fan of Courtney Dauwalter but Camille is the best ultra runner-100 miles at 7.37 per mile. Also racing this weekend
1
Don't forget Tucson ultrarunner Pam Reed.
https://tucson.com/sports/greghansen/hansen-pam-reed-s-ultramarathon-record-wowed-the-world/article_e9f5373f-e0a3-514b-b09c-eb9c9dc8336e.html
1
@RobDahl and Ann Trason https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/20/ultrarunner-anne-trason-comeback
3
This is just too mind-boggling to grasp.
3
Are we supposed to admire people who force themselves to run until they hallucinate?
17
@Emd Nowhere in the article does it ask you to admire them. They are doing what makes them happy. I most certainly don't admire people who choose to spend the same amount of hours watching television. To each his/her own.
9
@Emd I absolutely do admire people with the mental strength to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. This trait translates to all aspects of life.
2
@Emd
Maybe admire the courage it takes to put your body to the absolute limit of your ability.
It's the journey getting there that's admirable, not the puke at the finish line.
1
Why is it clear that this is about psychological fortitude and not something going on at the physiological or biological level that is giving women an advantage? Where is the evidence that this is "in the head" and not actually in the body? The suggestions in this article appear to be leaping to conclusions.
2
Crazy people. Every single one of them. I love it!
19
Men don't labor and give birth. Women are built to survive (mostly) repeated lengthy pregnancies and births of very large-headed neonates. That takes stamina.
16
@Multimodalmama many women can give birth to multiple children, no big deal. What Courtney's doing doesn't even compare.
This is very impressive but I can't help but wonder what these races do to the wilderness locations in which they're run. The path must be trampled (and hopefully not trashed) and I'm sure the wildlife don't appreciate the visitors.
8
@Jane they're run on existing trails.
4
@Jane instead of wondering, please do some research. These are hiking trails, and the races are highly regulated by implact laws. Furthermore, most races require proof of trail volunteer work in order to compete. Typical races have about 200 people, less than a typcial Saturday of hiking. Since these people train outdoors, they are comfortable and respectful of wildlife.
6
This man v. woman in extreme sports is just silly. They are all "freaks."* Of course, it is okay to celebrate their individual accomplishments, they engage in ultramarathons for the sheer satisfaction and not a battle of sexes. Frame it that way may sell the column but in the end a disservice
* just in case people got bend out of shape, we runners use it in an affectionate way, like the late Ed Whitlock of Canada
15
Seems more like masochism than anything else. Also, ultramarathons would appear to be ultrawhite.
4
@Luder
So what is the point about them being "ultrawhite"? Are you suggesting the organizers are racists? Or that there is something wrong with these events just because non-white people (for whatever reason) choose not to participate?
Do they have to have a diversity program and scholarships to attract non-white participants to avoid your disapproval?
1
@Luder I've met a lot of ultrarunners and macho is not a word I would use! Yes, it is unfortunate that not everyone has access or peers that get them involved in an amazing sport. That being said, there are quite a few non caucasian ultrarunners. Look them up! They are very inspiring also.
1
@John G It was just an observation, neither approving nor disapproving.
Congrats to Ms. Dauwalter! She is truly an inspiration. It seems crazy that we still segregate sports by sex in this day and age. She is living proof that it is no longer necessary. I don't expect it to change overnight, but I hope that one day my daughter (now age 7) will not be forced to run in a "seperate but equal" New York Marathon.
25
@Nick H I also think Ms. Dauwalter is great.
But we still segregate by sex because if women competed against men in the 1500 meters, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters there would be no women medalists.
The phrase "segregate by sex" is antiquated. Because the IAAF recognizes that there are transgendered individuals. Hence, Lord Sebastian Coe has chosen to segregate by testosterone levels.
Extreme, atypical, very long races: Yes, women like Ms. Dauwalter do well. However, in most anything else testosterone wins.
12
@Nick H it may seem crazy to you "that we still segregate sports by sex in this day and age" but it seems crazy to me that you'd deny the inherent biological advantages men have over women in virtually every sport...think basketball, baseball, hockey, track, cross country, rugby, soccer, etc. come on man just because we believe in equal rights doesn't mean we believe illogical things just because they're more equal
13
@Nick H It's a bit ridiculous to compare separate competitions for men and women to the disenfranchising institutionalized racism that the "separate but equal" doctrine inflicted on people of color in this country.
7
The same is going on for long distance swimming:
https://www.thecut.com/2016/09/the-obscure-endurance-sport-women-are-quietly-dominating.html
3
I have a close friend who does these. When he runs a short race, like a 5 or 10k, he will run to the race, run the race, and then run home. He ran a marathon on snowshoes last year. It’s pretty intense.
And I don’t get this obsession with men vs. women, but the idea that they have evolved greater mental fortitude for endurance because of childbirth is just absurd. Can’t we just enjoy these amazing human feats?
15
Was hoping the story would have real data about sex differences in endurance events. I hate giving these ultra stories a click; it only encourages attention to dubious pursuits, like competitive eating.
1
I ran collegiate cross country, and the training miles were brutal. We regularly ran 15 mile workouts, and the exhaustion we felt afterwards was total. How Courtney could run a race over 200 miles in length is absolutely mind boggling.
Go get em Courtney.....Super job.
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@Ed Yes, I ran cross country also. I felt exhaustion after workouts, and years later I felt my joints fall apart.
These kind of extreme distance races must take a toll on the body. From what I can infer, most of these long racers, both men and women, have a natural stride, mechanically more well-balanced than the rest of us.
11
@Ed
My guess is, they are going much slower than your workouts, and they are "in the zone" for much of their 200 miles.
Ever had the feeling that you could run forever during a run? Well, now imagine having that feeling every time.
Talented people, what can I tell you...
11
This makes me want to get up from my computer desk and go run 200 miles, yes please.
5
She has not come close to winning a competitive ultra v. a man, the articles premise does not follow at all. Even the Tahoe 200 (not a competitive event) she lost to a man by a wide margin.
It’s a nice sentiment, but there is no competitive ultra where women are beating men. We’ll see how she does at Hardrock 100.
2
@M
Camille Herron did and is racing this weekend at Desert Solstice
https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20863588/cheers-100-miles-and-a-couple-of-beers-later-a-world-record/
We met Ms Dauwalter or someone very like her on the Mt. Tallac trail above Lake Tahoe a couple of years ago. The trail is a 10-mile round trip that gains 3290 feet. We did it once and felt we had put in a very good day's work. The lady we met did it 5 times.
7
Ok... so... pushing that far to the psychological limit of pain endurance seems, questionable, and sports that encourage it seem highely ethically questionable, whether boxing, American football, or these ultra-marathons.
Pain, and the fear of pain, is there to keep you safe. There are physical limits to your body, beyond which you die or are permanently debilitated. Has anyone actually thought about what those limits are regarding these 200 mile foot races.
In the legend of the first Marathon the runner dies of exhaustion upon reaching Athens.
2
@Rob And look at all the accomplishments since? Humanity is a series of events doing the impossible. Imagine if we refrained from taking risks and pushing our limits?
8
@Rob driving around in automobiles and crashing them into one another and other things is a far more major source of permanent debilitation than a few ultramarathoners who seem wired for this.
2
@Rob
Oh geez..I can't believe you brought up that Athens thing again..Oprah has run a marathon for Gods sake.
One woman beating men in a small sport hardly suggests anything at all. And it's odd that the writer suggests it's about determination and perseverance - rather than the fact that additional muscle mass means you burn energy faster - which makes longer distances harder.
If this was about a sport showing women's athletic biological strengths, you'd see most of the top finishers to be women.
1
@Details except for selection bias: women are typically strongly socially discouraged from doing "extreme" sports, while men are often encouraged. Women also have to juggle childbearing with sport in ways that men do not, should they choose to do so.
2
@Details These ultra races are absolutely about determination and perseverance. The athletes are aware of the rates at which they burn carbohydrate and eat/drink to offset the glycogen depletion (although preventing an upset stomach while doing this can be tricky business for some).
1
@Details
Dauwalter looked much more healthy and fit consuming a beer after race than Curtin being assisted.
Give me second and a beer, not medical aid in a sling.
1
"her success in winning them has opened a debate about how men’s innate strength advantages apply to endurance sports."
I don't think "innate" is correct. Innate refers to intrinsic things like curiosity, loyalty, confidence, determination, etc. I don't think "innate" applies to gross physical differences such as physical strength or muscle mass. "Natural", "inborn" or "genetic" might be the more accurate terms for physical differences between men and women.
@Detached
The actual term is dymorphism or dymorphic which is sex differences within a single specieces.
This should a celebration of human endurance, not a gender thing. No other mammal can accomplish this. Not equines, canines, felines, you name it. Humans made a remarkable evolution to standing on two feet, despite all its disadvantages (which everyone gets to experience with age, and women suffer through in childbirth.)
They lost all fur, or most of it, which other primates probably considered highly suspect. We aren't speedy, or have eagle vision, tiger claws, or dog's teeth. We're scavengers who cook. But our naked bodies shed heat amazingly well, and a complex system of springs, from the feet up the leg, absorb and deliver elastic energy for long periods, like a hybrid engine.
The few African hunter-gatherers who remained in the 20th century showed how we all lived: they could wound game, but they were no lions. Instead, they'd track the wounded animal for days, until it exhausted, 60 or 100 miles away. Then it was killed without risk, almost scavenged. Clever, almost too clever: wherever humans went, the populations of large mammals dwindled.
Let's talk a moment and recognize our heritage. It's no mean thing to evolve a capacity that's so austere and, well, sensible. Human success has led to lots of problems, but the endurance runners show our advantage is over the long haul.
103
@Brian, Bravo; good comments
3
Don’t forget the incredible whales and sea turtles that migrate incredible distances (thousands of miles)!
8
@Brian
The understanding that hunting was often a group activity, involving the entire tribe (yes that means women) and most of the time involved hunting smaller animals, using nets as well as arrows is well accepted among specialists nowadays, but the dioramas in museums and the illustrations in National Geographic still mostly show brave males hunting big game with huge spears. Ah wel... You gotta grant men their favorite myths apparently....
5
With long distance running there is very little interaction among the contestants. Similar to golf, the runners are really just competing against themselves, as there is no way to strategically weaken another players chance of success. If it weren't for the weather, we could literally hold a long distance race simultaneously is different parts of country, and the scores would be comparable.
1
@Johnny only if we could control for terrain. But otherwise, yes.
2
“This is about stamina, and stamina is some combination of yes, strength, but also psychological will. It begs the question, is there something going on for women'......It is known that women on average have a greater percentage of body fat than men. One reason may be that a store of fat is required for female fertility. It is also known in long distance running that when the glucose energy supply is exhausted the available reserve energy is from fat metabolism, which as compared to glucose is relatively slow and less efficient. It may be, that because women in general have a greater store of body fat, they may also have evolved to be more efficient at fat metabolism than men, and thus relatively more able to compete at ultra marathon running.
12
Ultrarunning can certainly involve hiking as well as running. It's all time on your feet.
running 50, 100, 150, 200 miles at a time takes determination, training, and a certain amount of luck -- if there's a lightning storm at the top of the mountain, you may not be able to complete the race.
I do beg to differ with the characterization of ultrarunners as asocial. Some are focused during races, but if one runner gets into trouble, in my experience the other participants will stop to help if they possibly can. I've been helped up after an unplanned gravity check (AKA fall) a number of times. That doesn't happen as often in road races.
And I do not think there is any better way to see parts of the country that very, very few people get to see.
My hat is off to Ms. Dauwalter and her fellow Tahoe 200 participants.
32
I admire those that pursue such things, and I am rooting for Ms. Dauwalter, who is an extraordinary human.
I suspect that the parity observed between male and female ultra endurance runners is due to the men becoming disproportionately underweight and weak. This is especially true given the enormous caloric surplus they consume. A decrease in body mass in the presence of caloric surplus is the hallmark of disease.
5
I used to ride a bicycle 100 to 150 miles a week and that took a toll on my knees. My doctor said overworked muscles that become stronger can exert too much "pull" on opposing ones causing unintended problems.
And yes, what will happen when these people are 70 years old?
3
@Tom: I bet that a few of them will still be doing this, or something like it--maybe 70 at 70?
And it's also fair to wonder--what will happen to everyone else when they're 70?
25
@Tom: Perhaps some of them will become randonneurs. Randonneuring is a cycling sport similar in some ways to ultra-running, although easier on the knees. In 2007, 70 people age 70 or over started the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km (750 mile) randonnée, although only 15 of them finished successfully within the 90 hour limit compared to 401 out of 718 of the entrants in the 60-69 age group.
1
@Tom
It's not she's the first or only one to compete at these distances...... even the nytimes has reported about these races in the past. Organized long races date back to at least the mid nineteenth century. Trail races like the ones described in the article have been around for several decades. Both men and women have been running these distances a long time. And no they don't have any signs of "too much pull" caused problems. Only a non ultra runner "doctor" would speculate about such concerns with no basis in fact.
In fact women were not allowed to compete in the Boston marathon until the mid 1960s as there was widespread medical concern that a woman's uterus would be damaged by long distance runs. So much for medical speculation not based in reality.....
2
Great article about the endurance of Ultra types. I agree with the poster who said he wonders about the condition of these folks bodies when they hit the later part of their lives, 60's 70's.
I know for me who ran for only 12 years and one half marathon, my legs are shot and I'm in my 70's. Sadly at some point you pay the price.
Keep on keeping on!
12
@jfr I think it depends on an individual's physiology. Some people are built to run - longer legs, narrow hips, smaller build, and also avoidance of injuries. I am the opposite of that body type and after running for 13 years and 3 half marathons, I doubt that I'll still be running in my 60's. The natural runners can outlast and out run the rest of us.
6
@jfr: most likely, they will knee pain by their mid-40s if not earlier -- many knee surgeries -- early knee replacement.
The problem is that knee replacements only last about 12-15 years. If you have it at 75....it will probably last the rest of your life.
If you have one at 45....you may have to redo it TWICE in your lifetime.
Such surgeries are costly and have very painful, long recoveries and most people NEVER GET BACK to anything like the flexibility and stamina and strength of their 30s.
My orthopedic surgeon told me that "I cannot make your knee 19 years old again...but I can probably make it 40 or so." He did, and it was great for about 7-8 years and then I re-injured it. Now I limp in any weather that is cold and damp.
2
Fascinating article on human endurance. But I have to wonder what will happen long term to the bodies of the people who compete in these races several times a year, when they hit their 50's,60's, and 70's.
It's no surprise that women are quickly closing the gap in these ultramarathons. Women generally far exceed men when it comes to still going when the tank is empty.
Maybe in the not too distant future, when technology and medicine advance to the point where humans can interface with machines, and or grow their own worn out body parts, will there be 500--1000 mile races?
4
@John
There are races up to 3100 miles for a very long time.
The first Trans Continental Footrace took already place in 1928. Pedestrians battled in 6 day races already in the 1880s.
6
@John
Most competitive athletes pay a price for the heavy use of their body - as do people with very physical jobs. Such is life. On the other hand, underusing your body and being overweight and undermuscled (as I am) - is also not good. Might as well do what you want to do with your life, not live it in order to leave behind a strong corpse.
1
@John You're joking, right? <:
Male strength probably evolved to handle the kinds of short, quick, brutal violence that can result in death or serious injury. That is principally male-on-male violence in pursuit or defense of mates, food, shelter. Acts like punching, kicking, grappling, wrestling.
Endurance needs benefit both genders equally and the smaller stature, weight and muscle mass probably has something to do with women being able to endure right alongside men. Fewer calories and maybe a more efficient movement/gait sustains them given that with less muscle comes more flexibility which can preserve energy in each footfall.
15
@LR
The theory that persistence hunting (chasing large animals to the point that the prey exhaust themselves) might be true.
1
The main issue is that all of them ran 200 miles. That is a near-superhuman distance. That is a little less than 8 marathons, in one go.
75
I'm not thinking there is any debate here. Women are far better equipped than men for extreme endurance. This has been proven in many ways.
Women are built to survive for two. That should be enough to understand.
111
That makes a nice story, but it's simply not true. Men outperform women at all ultra distances for which World Records are maintained, up to 1,000 miles. As an example, Courtney is going for the women's WR at 24-hour this weekend, 161.55 miles. The men's WR is 188.56 miles.
http://www.iau-ultramarathon.org/images/file/Records/2017_2020_RecordsTable20181124.pdf
No disrespect to Courtney at all. I'm one of the men the article mentions that she beats. I won the men's race at Desert Solstice 24-hour two years ago, but Courtney beat me. She is an incredible athlete, and I feel no shame whatsoever in having a woman beat me. But you can't generalize from this and say "women are better than men over long enough distances". The data don't support that.
196
@Duncan McTaggart No debate? "Dr. Martin Hoffman, a former researcher for the Western States 100-mile race, said one reason Dauwalter was so successful was there were still so few people competing at 200 miles. According to Ultrarunning magazine, more than 100,000 people worldwide completed a race longer than a marathon (26.2 miles) in 2017.
“If you have the best trained male and female ultrarunners competing against each other, the men will always win,” said Hoffman, who ran his first 100-mile race in 1984. He has spent decades researching ultrarunning, but his work does not cover anything longer than 100 miles."
I suspect that what is true at 100 miles will hold for 200 miles. Both men and women are built to survive... or perish.
5
@Bob Hearn
However, more broadly than records, Ms. Ddauwalter, a woman ,was faster than all men in the race, and many women (e.g. olympic runners) are faster than most men (the majority of males are not competing at olympic levels).
1