Sex Differences in Participation and Performance Trends in Time-Limited Ultramarathon Events

Aim: We aimed to analyze sex diferences in time-limited ultramarathon participation, while also identifying trends in participation, age, and performance across diferent formats of events, from 1990 to 2020. Method: Tis is an exploratory study, using data obtained from the ofcial event web pages. We downloaded information regarding the year of the event, athletes’ year of birth, sex, race event, ranking, and mean running speed (km/h). Te sex gap in participation was presented through equiplots. Regression models were ftted to analyze trends in participation, age, and performance, considering a 95% confdence interval. Results: A similar pattern of increase in participation and age was shown for athletes of both sexes until 2019. Te sex gap remained, displaying diferent patterns across race events. A general trend of slower mean running speeds was shown. Te random-efects analysis showed that sex and age played signifcant roles in the performance trajectory across the years, in each race event. Conclusions: Apart from the 8-day race among females, there was a decline in the performance across all race durations. Despite the trend of performance decline, future studies need to address the relevance of this decline in both theoretical and practical terms.