This post was going to be “The Aftermath and What I Learned”, but I’m postponing that until tomorrow. I had some great questions in the comments yesterday that I wanted to address.
First, Catrina (who, by the way, has her own race recap up!) asked what my time was and how I placed. Yes, I was getting to that! My time was 15:54:58. and out of 83 finishers, I was 59th. To be honest, I was initially a little bummed out by that. I mean… it’s not great! But let’s break it down a little more.
There were 53 male finishers and 30 female, and of the 30 women I was 20th. That’s a little better. And… 16 people did not finish. I was surprised when I saw that. (I know when I DNF’d my race last year, there were only a few other DNFs, which of course made me feel even worse). My heart goes out to every single one of those runners- I know how it feels.
So, with all that, 59th is looking a little better (but still not great). I’m going to come back to this topic in tomorrow’s “What I Learned” segment.
Suzanne noted that all my trail BFFs have been guys. She wanted to know if many women run these races? GREAT question.
This race- with 30 women- had more than I usually see. Women seem to be seriously underrepresented in the ultra world, which is weird because they’re good at it! The longer the distance, the less gender matters. For example- the overall winner of this race I just ran was a woman.
There are people working to get more women into the ultra world. Meghan Gould, who hosts the She Runs Ultras podcast, has a mission to help 10,000 women run their first 50K. And this race was certified by Trail Sisters, an organization whose mission statement is “To increase women’s participation and opportunity in trail running and hiking through inspiration, education and empowerment.” (To be honest, I didn’t see anything especially “trail sister-y” about this race, other than the fact that it was advertised they would have feminine hygiene products at the aid stations- which is something!)
Back to Suzanne’s question. In this race, I had plenty of friendly encounters with women. There were some I talked and laughed with, but none of them were running up to me yelling “JENNAY” throughout the race. Like me (remember I was wanting to do my own thing and listen to a podcast) the women seemed more reserved. It was easier to fall in with the guys because they were more aggressive about it. HMMMM!
This is really giving me something to think about. Maybe a goal for my next race will be to make friends with at least one woman.
One last thing- I have a lot of sore muscles but no injuries- victory!
If you run ultras or trail races in a different state (or a different country), are there a decent amount of women runners?
Do you find it easier to make friends with men or women?
Top photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash
16 Responses
I love how you broke this all down, Jenny, from the stats to the gender dynamics on the trail. Finishing a tough ultra with no injuries is a win, full stop. And placing 20th out of 30 women with 16 DNFs in the mix paints a very different picture than just “59th overall.” Thanks for sharing the full story!
When standing in the starting corral at Boston, I was surrounded by women – all focused, calm, and quiet. We exchanged eye contact and smiles, so the vibe was warm, just… silent. I didn’t feel like chatting either. Maybe we just save our energy for the miles ahead – or for the post-race recap!😂
I noticed in your recap that you mentioned all the women at the start. I think in the marathon distance, women and men are just about equally represented. And yes- in general the women are more calm. And it’s funny you mention it because I was so tired in the days following this race, it did take a LOT of energy to get the recap written!
You crossed the finish line of a 50 mile race with no injuries! That’s the only statistic that matters.
I feel like I have tunnel vision when it comes to running. The athletes that I admire are all women, and it’s almost like I don’t really notice the guys. But now that you mention it, I feel like guys are more chatty on the race course. Outside of running, I feel like I’m more likely to talk to women than to men, but it’s not a hard and fast rule.
Very true- finishing with no injuries, that was the only goal. I also am much more focused on women runners, so it’s always surprising to me when I get to an ultra and realize how few women there actually are.
I am stuck on the fact that you were physically moving for almost sixteen hours. That is a feat! I agree with Birchie, you finished! That’s what matters.
I am SUCH a girl’s girl. There are very few men who I think of as “friends” and not “spouses of my friends.” Come to think of it, I can only really think of one, not counting FB “friends.”
Nicole, I did think about you and knew what your answer would be! I need to channel my “inner Nicole” and make more women friends.
I’ve finished DFL or close to it in most of my races, so 59 out of 83 sounds pretty good to me, especially with all those DNFs! I’ve accepted that I’m gonna be at the back of the pack and I know that doesn’t make me any less worthy of being out there!
I’ve noticed there are fewer women running ultras, especially as the distance grows. I would love to see more women participate, but I also think it would be cool if for once, I’m in a race with a small enough women’s field that I have a chance of making the podium haha, which would mean there would probably have to be 3 or fewer women!
You know, I know I would be happy with DFL, especially after experiencing a DNF. But when I look at race results I think I start comparing myself out of habit. i have to stop doing that!
I think your placement is honestly meaningless. What I love about racing is that for me, it’s not a competition against others. It’s a competition against myself! I am trying to best my monkey brain that tells me to stop or slow down. You ran 50 freaking miles! That is an amazing accomplishment and I think you shouldn’t parse the data any further. Some of the people who ran this race may have way more time to dedicate to training, for example. You did the best you could!
I have ran very few trail races and have always ran them with female friends!
As far as who I have an easier time making friends with, I would say women overall, but I have quite a few male friends since I’ve always worked in male-dominated work environments. But most of my favorite work friends are females!
Hmm! I wonder if I tend to make friends with men more because I used to work in a male-dominated field (I played the trumpet, which put me in with boys and men a lot.) That’s an interesting thought.
Very true- this was a competition with me, myself and I- no one else.
I guess I understand that it’s a “race,” and you’d want to finish it quickly, but my goodness, you were moving your body over challenging terrain for nearly SIXTEEN HOURS and 50+ miles?!?! I kind of think believing you could do it, and training for it, and showing up (let alone FINISHING, without injury!!!) are more impressive than your ranking among the group. I am so awed by you, Jenny. The amount of discipline and persistence and mental strength you have are incredible.
Thanks for answering my question about dudes vs women on the trail! So interesting to know about the gender breakdown of ultra and trail runners!
Oh, thank you Suzanne! It’s funny because you touched on something I’m going to talk about tomorrow- the belief that I could do this rce in the first place. Thank you so much for all your kid words and support.
I love that you can strike up these race friendships! II think it’s about the personality rather than the gender, right?
There was a point in my life when most of my friends were men… This is super weird, because I don’t do any typically “guy” stuff.
But I wanted to have more women friends, so I sought them out by putting myself in women-centric spaces. I love my women friends and feel so safe and loved when I’m with them!
This is all giving me a lot to think about! I think if I want to have women friends (in general, not just at races) I’ll have to really push myself to do it. And you’re right- I’m just more likely to make friends with an outgoing person at a race, since I’m more introverted. It could be an outgoing woman (but… somehow doesn’t ever seem to be!)
I’m going to flip your question a bit and say I GENERALLY find it easier to make friends with people who are older than me!
I still am in awe that you finished this race (and had the guts to sign up for it in the first place). All the gold stars from me, Jenny.
I think it’s amazing that you finished the race and with no injuries. Your placement seems good too. Do they have age group placements for this race like they have for marathons?