Research Examines the Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Long-Distance Run Performance. What Does That Mean for Training?

Women have stood at the top of podiums for decades, from the mile through the ultramarathon. But recently, they’ve attained more outstanding performances—especially at long-distance races like ultras—and have gotten closer to (or closed) the gap when it comes to the finish times of men.For example, in May, Rachel Entrekin won the Cocodona 250 trail race, setting a new course record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds, and becoming the first woman to win the race overall. While not the overall winner, Jenn Lichter finished first for women at Western States, the first 100-miler of her career, breaking Courtney Dauwalter’s previous course record, and finishing in 15 hours, 28 minutes, and 5 seconds.And of course, Dauwalter has incredible performances of her own, including recently winning and setting the clockwise course record at Hardrock 100, finishing fifth overall in a time of 26 hours, 3 minutes, and 10 seconds.A study published in Sports Medicine in 2023 backs up the narrowing space between men and women in long-distance running: Researchers examined a dataset of nearly 39,000 trail running races from 1989 to 2021 and found the performance gap between the sexes decreased as distance increased.Recent research also offers some insight into why this gap may be closing. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports shows that highly trained women have an edge over men in distance running, thanks to a higher level of resilience and durability, meaning they can still perform well deep into a race.READ MORE ABOUT THE RESEARCHThese findings add to a larger conversation around sex differences in sport, specifically long-distance run performance.“What I find so interesting about this emerging line of research is the general conversation about women tolerating intensity,” says Emily Dow, PhD, RD, CSCS, assistant professor of practice, nutrition, and human performance at the University of Arizona. “You hear conversations about how we have to consider different phases in the menstrual cycle and we have to be careful not to wreck our hormones and all these things that almost make female athletes seem more fragile, whereas this line of research is suggesting we actually can tolerate higher exercise intensities for longer.”With this, more female distance runners are getting the credit they deserve, and their coaches agree. “I’m so glad that this conversation is happening because it’s really exciting,” says Cliff Pittman, ultramarathon coach and director of Coaching at Carmichael Training Systems. “I coach several professional women [distance runners], and I’m just stoked that the recognition is there of some of these incredible performances.”Typical distance training principles—like steadily increasing training volume and incorporating weekly long runs—prove to support all types of runners, but these findings elicit questions on whether newfound differences in men and women’s physiology should alter how we train for long-distance races.We tapped researchers and run coaches to weigh in. Here’s what they say.The Training Takeaways All Runners Should KnowThe main principles of distance training apply to every runner, regardless of their sex. Those principles include: balancing long, slow distance runs with higher-intensity miles, steady increases in volume and intensity, incorporating strength workouts into your schedule to support running, and learning your fueling needs to maintain energy throughout training and on race day.While it’s important to tailor these tactics to your individual needs, the overall guidelines apply to everyone. “I don’t have any knowledge or research that would lead me to do anything differently,” says Pittman, who’s worked closely with professional ultramarathoners like Olympic medalist Molly Seidel. “When I look at an athlete, I look at them as an individual. I’m not prescribing their training based on presumptions of what their physiology is; I’m looking at how they respond to the training.”While research findings shouldn’t drastically alter your training program, they may help you make a few tweaks to refine it. “From a programming point of view, I don’t necessarily think [any new research] rewrites effective programming, but it does give hints as to how training outcomes are interpreted and how certain sections [of training] are approached,” says Dow.For example, Dow says, findings about how impressively durable the female physiology is should act as a major confidence booster for women to handle volume, and go into long workouts trusting that they’re capable of performing well in those difficult final miles.What Men and Women Might Do Differently in TrainingWhile basic training principles remain the same, there may be opportunities for runners to enhance their training, based on differences between how men and women perform on race day.What Women Should Consider“What I glean from this evidence is that women may be better able to access quality work later on in sessions,” Dow says. “If two athletes, one being female, and one being male, are both prescribed a three-hour long run with the last portion at marathon pace, the female athlete may be better able to execute that than the male athlete would be,” because of their durability advantages, she suggests.In training, this could mean female athletes don’t have to stress about going into quality workouts feeling perfectly fresh in order to execute them well, Dow explains. “I think it helps overcome a lot of mental barriers, and gives coaches and athletes permission to push a little bit harder than they might otherwise, because we are capable of handling that,” she says.You can examine your durability by looking at physiological drift or decoupling, which requires comparing your average heart rate and pace from the first half of a long run to the second. If your pace held steady but your heart rate climbed meaningfully, that’s physiological drift.Women having better durability in longer distances could free up more room for improvement in other aspects of training. “If your durability is good, meaning you don’t have a drift in your physiology or significant drift in your performance as you go along with the race, then you can probably work on your fresh physiology a bit more,” suggests Michele Zanini, PhD, a lecturer in applied sport and exercise science at the Open University in England and study author on the durability research mentioned above.Focusing more on “fresh” physiology might look like trying shorter races in your build or incorporating speedwork and strength training. Zanini points to a study he worked on that was published last year, which found strength training improves durability and running economy in distance runners.Enhancing speed and strength could give female distance runners an extra competitive edge, Zanini says. This would also help build more fast-twitch muscle fibers—those that produce more force and power for speed—which men tend to have a higher proportion of compared to women.HOW TO BALANCE STRENGTH TRAINING AND RUNNINGWhat Men Should ConsiderThe biggest thing male distance runners may want to keep in mind is leaning on a smarter pacing strategy during long runs and races. A recent study shows men are more likely to hit the wall (or slow down) in the later miles of a marathon, even if they have the fitness to shoot for a fast time goal. Researchers speculate this could be due to a tendency to go out too fast in the beginning of their race.THE BEST MARATHON PACING STRATEGYZanini adds that while general protocols around mileage between sexes would remain the same (like opting for at least 30 or more miles per week during marathon training, for example), study findings could potentially suggest male distance runners can put an emphasis on volume.This could look like opting for higher weekly mileages, longer long runs, or incorporating two-a-day runs to practice running on fatigued legs. (Regardless, the more volume you can do to support your running goals, the better chance you have at improving your performance, Zanini adds, which applies to every runner.) Practicing smart pacing during these efforts can also pay off on race day.Pittman agrees, as he previously wrote for Runner’s World: The best way to close the gap on physiological drift (the main marker of durability) is focusing on racking up mileage with higher training volumes and running on tired legs.Increasing volume helps to build slow-twitch muscle fibers that support you through longer distances as they fatigue less quickly, and women tend to have a higher proportion of these fiber types compared to men.The Bottom Line on Training for Long DistancesOverall, the research sparks interesting conversations, but your training still boils down to your specific needs as an individual, including where your weaknesses lie and how you can strengthen your overall long-distance performance.“There are differences here, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that how we go about building durability or improving lactate threshold is essentially any different at all,” says Pittman.Kristine Kearns, a writer and avid runner, joined Runner’s World and Bicycling in July 2024. She previously coached high school girls cross country and currently competes in seasonal races, with more than six years of distance training and an affinity for weightlifting. You can find her wearing purple, baking cupcakes, and visiting her local farmers market.