Earlier this month in Arizona, American endurance runner Rachel Entrekin not only became the first woman to win the Cocodona 250, a 407km ultramarathon, but also beat the fastest men's time, racing into the record books.
Completing the race in 56 hours, nine minutes and 48 seconds, Entrekin beat Kilian Korth, who came second and set the men’s course record, by one hour and almost 19 minutes.
Also on the race trail was Dubai resident Tania Carmona, 39, an endurance runner and property investor.
“Cocodona 250 is considered one of the most demanding ultra-marathons in the world,” Carmona says.
“I started 12 years ago, when I was introduced to Spartan races, discovered trail running and signed up to my first ever trail race that was 50km in the mountains close to Mexico City. I was curious to know if I was capable of completing this challenge as back then there wasn't a lot of information about the sport.”
Carmona has now completed more than 35 ultramarathons worldwide.
“In 2025, I was the 10th woman in the world and the first Latin athlete to complete one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world, The Four Deserts Grand Slam Plus,” she says. “Consisting of five 250km self-supported desert crossings within a calendar year, it took me to Namibia, Jordan, Gobi, Antarctic and Atacama.”
'Surrounded by inspiration’
Ultra-marathons and ultra-long-distance running are rapidly growing in popularity among women.
Organisers of the 2027 London Marathon say that women aged 20 to 29 make up the largest share of the 1.3 million applications they have received, with more than 179,000 applying.
“The trail and endurance running space was once extremely male-dominated, but more and more women are realising we too can take on these huge challenges,” says Alice Bugeja, 30, a UAE-based endurance runner who founded the running brand mileoff.
“Seeing hugely inspiring females like Rachel Entrekin win the Cocodona 250 gives us a new found confidence in what our bodies and minds are capable of.”
Sarah Stoneley, 31, endurance runner and head coach at 1Rebel UAE, believes women in sport have never been more supported or celebrated, with everyone from running influencers to elite athletes breaking world records, providing inspiration for others to begin.
“Seeing women coming first overall in ultra races around the world is happening more and more and it gives us all the courage to start," she says.
Fatigue resistance and fat metabolism
Women beating men in ultra-long-distance races is not new. Sports science has shown that while male muscle mass offers an advantage over shorter distances, that advantage is greatly reduced over ultra-long distances.
“While men generally have physiological advantages in power and speed-based activities due to greater muscle mass, larger cardiac output and higher oxygen-carrying capacity, endurance running presents a more balanced picture,” says Shruthi Prabhu, physiotherapist at Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic in Jebel Ali. “Emerging sports science research suggests that women may demonstrate better fatigue resistance and more efficient fat metabolism during prolonged exercise, which can support performance in ultra-endurance events.
“Studies in endurance physiology have also shown that the performance gap between men and women tends to narrow as race distances increase,” she adds. “Factors such as pacing strategy, energy conservation, recovery, training consistency, nutrition, and mental resilience often become more important than gender alone during ultra-distance races.”
What's the appeal?
Jola Chudy, who's in her mid-40s, was bitten by the long-distance running bug after a friend coaxed her into a trail run during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“The feeling of running in the mountains was magical. The freedom, sense of escape, adventure and instant camaraderie that seems to bubble up like magic when you’re running for miles with people was a game-changer,” says the PR professional. “That wasn’t exactly on the bingo card of a middle-aged weekend jogger who got a bit carried away, but I always say you never know where running will take you and that’s one of the best things about it.”
Since then, Chudy has taken on trail runs, desert races across the UAE, mountain ultramarathons and Ironman 70.3 triathlons in Oman.
“In 2024, I completed Marathon des Sables, which is billed as ‘the world’s toughest footrace’ at 252km of unrelenting sand and searing heat across the Moroccan Sahara,” she says. “The race is a seven-day, entirely self-supported endeavour where the goal is to finish before the camels – they walk at the back of the pack and if they overtake you, you’re disqualified.”
Many women talk of the sense of exhilaration and achievement they feel when tackling a long-distance race.
“It was 130km across three days and it was epic,” says Bugeja of her longest race so far. “To most people this sounds impossible, and it sounded like that to me when I first signed up. But what people don’t realise is ultra-running and trail running is totally different to road running. It’s not about pressure for timing, it’s much more about the experience and soaking up your surroundings.”
Building mental and physical resilience
Ultramarathons and endurance races are held around the world, so these sports combine fitness with travel, promoting independence and community in equal measure. Many women also talk of the meditative state they experience during runs.
“Since starting my journey in ultra races around three years ago, I have completed five ultra-marathon races and five marathons,” says Stoneley. “A highlight for me was a 70km trail through the jungle in Vietnam, with over 3,000-metre elevation, where I placed fourth out of the women. I like to do races in locations I’ve always wanted to visit so I get to see a beautiful part of the world at the same time.”
She adds: “I love the challenge that comes with the training. You are investing hours of your time and energy into your own self-growth and proving you can be disciplined and dedicated, even when it’s hard. I also love putting my music in and getting lost in the focus of a long run, it’s so peaceful.”
For Chudy, running became a helpful release during a “tough period”, allowing her to spend time in nature and clear her mind.
“One of the reasons I appreciate in endurance sports is that it feels meditative,” she says. “No thinking about 10 different client briefs or whether I remembered to buy cheese and call my friend back. Our lives are overwhelming. Giving your brain time to focus simply on putting one foot in front of the other is like pressing a reset button.”
For those tempted to try it themselves, seasoned runners say the key is to start gradually and to focus less on speed than on consistency and enjoyment.
“Once you are confident in running the shorter distances like 5km or 10km, then you can progress to the 21km runs and keep adding up to the longer distances,” says Bugeja. “Find a friend who is interested or join a running community, and plan longer runs together or head out to the mountains and hit the trails. Don’t put pressure on times, rather it’s about time on your feet.”
While there are many running apps available to track your progress, both Stoneley and Chudy recommend working with a professional coach if you’re serious about improving. “They will be able to help you so much more than an AI app,” says Stoneley. “So much of endurance sports is about nutrition, which an app can’t give personal help with.”
Many endurance runners stress that the sport is less about competing against the clock than challenging themselves.
“Ultra-running for me is about discovering and seeing how far I can go,” says Carmona. “When you start living life with curiosity, life becomes a wonderful adventure. Endurance isn’t about pushing yourself excessively, but discovering while having fun so you can endure in this sport for many years.”
