A search of the running, exercise science, and psychology literature reveals a marked absence of information pertaining to female runners who participate in ultradistance events. In an effort to gain a baseline of information relating to demographics, athletic and running histories, history of injury and basic physical information, as well as cultural and social and motivational perspectives, this survey was created. The distribution of the survey was accomplished by sending it or taking it to the JFK 50 (Nov.96), Sunmart 50 mile and 50K USATF national championships (Dec. 96), Uhwarrie 40 Mile Trail Run (Feb. 97), and through posting the survey on the ULTRA bulletin board. Additionally, Ultrarunning magazine printed information pertaining to the survey, giving the name and address necessary to obtain a copy of the survey. As of March 1997, there have been 128 respondents to the survey. The following represents the results of that survey. Further analysis of the data looks at similarities and differences between sub-8 hour 50 milers and those running in excess for the 50 mile distance.

* The following are the percentages of respondents completing each of the stated levels of education:

High School 98.4% n=126

Tech/Vocational 8.6% n=11

1-3 yrs college 1.7% n=15

4 yrs college (BS/BA) 78.1% n=100

1-2 yrs professional/ 31.0% n=40

graduate

3-4 yrs professional/ 18.0% n=23

graduate

Post-doctoral 5.5% n=7

Comment - As a whole, this group is very educated, with 70 % of those holding BA/BS degrees also attaining from 1-6 years professional or graduate status.

* Of the 129 respondents, 17 did not report their salary and 4 reported that they were either retired or not employed. However, many of the women who did state their salaries held jobs that were less than full time. Thus, the following data reflects both the reported full time and part time salaries.

$0-20,000 12% n=15

20K-30K 16% n=19

30K-40K 18% n=22

40K-50K 15% n=18

50K-60K 10% n=12

60K-70K 6.7% n=8

70K-80K 5.8% n=7

80K-90K 0% n=0

90K-100K 1.7% n=2

+100K 3.4% n=4

* The professions represented by the respondents are diverse. In general, 20 women reported being in the medical field and 11 others were fitness trainers or massage therapists. 15 reported being in education, 12 were engineers or analysts, 2 were captains in the military, 1 was a police sergeant, and another was a probation officer. 3 women were involved in psychology/social work, 5 were scientists, and 9 were involved in the arts or media. Additionally, 24 were involved in various aspects of business (from secretaries to CFOs), another 7 were business owners, and one was a lawyer.

* Of those reporting, the following reflect the marital status of the respondents:

Single 20.9% n=26

Married 63.5% n=80

` Divorced 13.7% n=17

Separated 0.8% n=1

*Of those reporting, the following reflects the motherhood status of the respondents:

Those with at least one child 38.3% n=49

# of children Range 0-4 Mean 0.8 Mode 0 Median 0

Those with at least one child <16 yrs 20.3% n=26

# of children Range 0-4 Mean .41 Mode 0 Median 0

Comment - 50% of those married, divorced, or separated have children.

*When asked if their parents played sports with them as a child, they responded as such:

Yes, but just my mother 3.1% n=4

Yes, but just my father 18.8% n=24

Yes, both my parents 11.7% n=15

No, neither of my parents 62.5% n=80

*When asked if they participated in organized sport in grade school or high school, they responded as such:

Yes 53.1% n=68

- Of those participating, the mean age at which sport was begun

was 11.3 years of age

- Participation was in the following sports:

Track (n=25) Basketball (n=25) Softball (n=23)

Volleyball (n=20) Swimming (n=14)

Tennis (n=11) X-country (n=9) Soccer (n=4) Field Hockey (n=5) Skiing (n=4) Syn. swim (n=3) Golf (n=3) Badminton (n=1) Ballet (n=1)

Equestrian (n=1) Archery (n=1) Fencing (n=1)

Crew (n=1) Karate (n=1)

No 46.9% n=1

* When asked the reason for youthful participation in sport, the following reasons were chosen. The total number of responses equaled 199. (Each respondent was asked to pick her top three reasons although some did not do so.)

Love/excitement of competition 24.1% n=48

Socialization 21.1 n=42

Being part of a team 17.6 n=35

To better yourself 12.6 n=25

You were good/coaches wanted you 10.6 n=21

To get in shape 5.0 n=10

Other - fun, love of sport etc. 4.0 n=8

Peer pressure 2.0 n=4

To earn athletic scholarship 1.0 n=2

*When asked to rate their athletic ability up and through high school, 118 of the women surveyed answered as follows:

Below average(1 point) 27.1% n=32

Average (2 points) 31.4 n=37

Above average (3 points) 26.3 n=31

Highly skilled/competitive (4) 15.3 n=18

Mean 2.27 Median 2 Mode 2

*Asked if they participated in organized sport post high school, the following information describes the responses of 122 women.

Yes 52.5% n=64

No 47.5 n=58

* These same 122 women related the following about participation in college sport.

Intramural play 10.7% n=13

Intercollegiate play 23.0% n=28

* The college sports represented were as follows:

Cross Country (n=10) Track (n=8) Volleyball (n=8)

Basketball (n=7) Softball (n=5) Tennis (n=4)

Field hockey (n=4) Swimming (n=3) Gymnastics (n=2)

Soccer (n=2) Skiing (n=2) Synchronized swimming (n=2)

Cross country skiing (n=1) Archery (n=1) Badminton (n=1)

Golf (n=1)

*The responses to "At what age did you begin running with any consistency?" were as follows:

Mean age 27.8 + 9.28 years of age

Median 28.0

Mode 21.0

Minimum 10.0

Maximum 65.0

*The women were surveyed as to the number of years of consistent running.

Mean 12.8 + 6.6 years

Median 13.0

Mode 10.0

Minimum 1.0

Maximum 34.0

*The consistency of the women's running was reflected by the answer to "Have there been any major gaps (more than one year) in your running?"

Yes 14% n=18

(Of these, 9 gaps were due to injury, 2 due to pregnancy/childbirth, and 7 were for undisclosed reasons)

No 86% n=110

Comment - The data suggests that the women surveyed view running as a long-term activity. The vast majority of the women have been able to run steadily for many years with only a handful interrupting their training with a major break.

*As reported by the majority of those surveyed, the following reflects the "Finish Vs attempted" rate for the specified distances. (There were some respondents who listed terms like "many" or "all" or "all but one", failing to list a number. Therefore, the figures below do not include those responses.)

Length Attempted Completed Finish %

Marathon 994 970 97.6%

50K 266 258 97.0%

50 mile 486 445 91.6%

100 mile 114 80 70.0%

* In an attempt to ascertain whether or not attitudes toward ultras change with time, the respondents were asked to chose the phrase that best described their attitude both at the beginning of their ultra career as well as their current attitude.

- Just wanted to finish - did not care at all about time - just needed to

accomplish the goal

- Ran to have fun and socialize during the actual event

- Wanted to have a mid-pack kind of time

- Had very specific personal goals to accomplish

- Wanted to be in the top 5 women

- Wanted to be the first women

- Wanted to win overall

Beginning attitude Attitude Current attitude

56.4% n=86 finish 19.1% n=32

15.5 n=25 fun 16.8 n=28

6.2 n=10 mid-pack 9.6 n=16

18.0 n=29 goals 37.1 n=62

3.7 n=6 top 5 12.6 n=21

3.1 n=5 first woman 4.2 n=7

0.0 n=0 overall 0.0 n=0

"never again!" 0.5 n=1

Comment - The data suggests that the majority of women approach their first ultras with some fear, having a goal to "just" finish. However, with time and as confidence levels grow, the majority of the women set higher personal goals which may include goals of higher placing or faster times. However, it is interesting that those who approached ultras "Just for fun" at the beginning of their careers were most apt to maintain the "Just for fun" attitude throughout their careers.

*In terms of raw athletic ability and speed, the runners were asked to rate themselves compared to other ultrarunners. The following reflect their answers.

(The same rating system was used to evaluate the data, with 1, 2, 3, or 4 points being assigned to "below average", "average", above average", and "very gifted", respectively.)

Below average (1) 20.5% n=26

Average (2) 44.9% n=57

Above average (3) 32.3% n=41

Very gifted (4) 2.4% n=3

Mean 2.1+ 0.81

Median 2

Mode 2

Comment - The extremes of "below average" and "very gifted" in high school ability modulated as the women moved into ultrarunning. Compared to the runner's assessment of their high school athletic abilities, the women view themselves as "average" and "above average" ultrarunners. Only 57.7% viewed themselves as average to above average in high school whereas their personal assessment as average to above average ultrarunners rose to 77.2% . However, the number of "very gifted" responses for ultrarunners dropped to 2.4% from 15.3% in high school. Similarly, the percentage of "below average" individuals in high school (27.1%) dropped to 20.5% as ultrarunners. It can be postulated that contributing factors to this data include increases in confidence, increased focus on one sport, maturity, both mental and physical, and identifying and developing athletic strengths (i.e. running as opposed to sports requiring eye-hand coordination, for example).

* The runners were then asked to pick one of the following phrases that would best describe the way they typically place in ultra events. The following reflect their answers. Each response received the number of points in parenthesis for the purpose of quantitating the data.

Often 'DNF' (1) 2.4% n=3

Near the last of the pack (2) 19.5% n=24

Near the middle of the pack (3) 26.0% n=32

Top third (4) 36.6% n=45

First, second, or third (5) 15.5% n=19

Mean 3.42 + 1.06

Median 3.5

Mode 4

Comment - It is interesting that approximately one third of the runners stated that they generally finished in the top third of the field.

* The use of a training log was questioned.

Yes, I use a training log. 62.9% n=78

No, I don't use a log. 37.1% n=46

* In response to "Approximately how many miles did you log in the last year", most of those surveyed recorded a number. Since many of the responders did not keep a training log, by their own admission, the data may or may not reflect "real" yearly mileage.

Mean 3031 miles/year + 926

Median 1425

Minimum 800

Maximum 5200

* The woman were also questioned as to the realistic number of miles per week that they would run when "training hard?

20-30 miles/week 6.3% n=8

30-40 18.1% n=23

40-50 25.2% n=32

50-60 25.2% n=32

60-70 14.0% n=18

70-80 3.5% n=4

80-90 0.8% n=1

90-100 4.7% n=6

100+ 2.4% n=3

Mean 52.9 + 18.8

Median 52.5

Mode 45

Minimum 25

Maximum 130

* "Generally, if a race was coming up in 8 weeks, how many 'long' run (20+ miles) would you try to accomplish?"

0 3.2% n=4

1 7.3% n=9

2 17.7% n=22

3 17.7% n=22 mean 4.48

4 24.2% n=30 median 4

5 4.8% n=6 mode 4

6 10.5% n=13

7 4.0% n=5

8 4.0% n=5

9 0.0% n=0

10 1.6% n=2

11 0.0% n=0

12 0.8% n=1

13 0.8% n=1

14 0.0% n=0

15 0.8% n=1

16 2.4% n=3

* "How soon before a race do you like to do your last long run?"

Day before 0.8% n=1

< 1 week 2.4% n=3

1 week 15.2% n=19

1.5 weeks 7.2% n=9

2 weeks 43.2% n=54 mean 2.06

2.5 weeks 7.2% n=9 median 2

3 weeks 19.2% n=24 mode 2

3.5 weeks 1.6% n=2

4 weeks 3.2% n=4

* "Do you make speed work (track, fartlek, tempo, AT, etc.) a regular part of your training?"

Yes 48.8% n=59

No 51.2% n=62

* In attempted to analyze if the runners are training in groups or solo, the women were asked to describe their training situation. "On daily/long runs, I run with others ______."

On daily runs On long runs

16.4% n=21 NEVER 13.3% n=17

21.9% n=28 SELDOM 17.2% n=22

28.9% n=37 OCCASIONALLY 15.6% n=20

28.9% n=37 MOST OF THE TIME 34.3% n=44

3.9% n=5 ALL OF THE TIME 19.5% n=25

Comment - It would appear that this group of women are not afraid to run by themselves on long runs. 80% of those surveyed will run long by themselves at least some of the time. It is not known if the answers would change if the long runs were designated as "trail" or "road" runs.

* The use of cross-training was analyzed. The women were asked to report those activities that were used consistently (at least once a week). They were to assume that they were NOT cross-training simply due to injury. Multiple activities were reported by many women.

Resistance training 54.7% n=70

Biking 35.2% n=45

Stair stepping 19.2% n=24

Swimming 14.1% n=18

Aerobics 14.1% n=18

Deep water running 7.0% n=9

Ski-machine 4.7% n=6

Walking 3.9% n=5

Rowing 2.3% n=3

Snowshoeing 1.6% n=2

In-line skating 1.6% n=2

Riding (horses) 1.6% n=2

Each of the following were used by 0.8% (n=1) Ice skating kayaking

soccer volleyball basketball canoeing

* Age mean 41.27 years

median 40

mode 36

maximum 71

minimum 25

* Body surface area (BSA) mean 1.62 m2

median 1.599

mode 1.58

maximum 1.88

minimum 1.33

*Height mean 65.29 inches

median 65

mode 64

maximum 72

minimum 59

* Weight mean 125.4 pounds

median 122.5

mode 120

maximum 160

minimum 91

* The runners were asked to respond to the statement "I am pleased with my current weight.". The following reflect their answers.

Yes 57.6% n=60

No 42.3% n=44

(2 of the "no" responses indicated that they felt themselves to

be too thin. The remaining 42 felt too heavy.)

* The women were also asked to state the number of menstrual cycles in the last twelve months as well as other questions concerning the effect of training on menstruation.

- 11 women reported being post-menopausal due to age. These reported "0" for the number of periods.

- 14 other women reported "0" menses in the last 12 months.

Comment- 7 of these women had hysterectomies, 2 were on drug therapy that caused cessation of menses, and the remaining 5 gave no obvious reason for their ammenorrhea. Of these five runners, the number of miles run in the last year were 3300, 2000, 2000, 1300, and 1900. Their BSAs were calculated to be 1.48, 1.55, 1.47, 1.75, and 1.87. (The average BSA for all runners was 1.62m2.) Therefore, 3 of the 5 are smaller than the average runner and run a minimum of 2000 per year. More data would be required, however, to establish a correlation between BSA, mileage, and ammenorrhea.

- The runners were asked if hard training or racing affected their

periods. They responded as follows:

Have no effect on menstrual patterns n=67 65.7%

Delays the onset of menses n=21 20.6%

Produces the early onset of menses n=14 13.7%

-Yearly number of menses:

mean 8.9 (includes post-menopausal women)

median 12

mode 12

Comment - The common public perception that long distance runners are all waif-like and ammenorrhic is not supported by this data. The fact that the average runner is 5'5" and 125 pounds and 91 of the 108 women who would be expected to be menstruating have in excess of 8 periods per year counters this opinion.

* "Have you ever experienced any rectal bleeding in your running career?"

Yes n=31 24.6%

No n=95 75.4%

* "Have you ever discussed any female health issue with your physician in terms of the impact of your running on your body?"

Yes n=64 50%

No n=64 50%

* In an effort to ascertain the confidence level of being treated by their physicians, the runners were queried: "Do you consider your physician to be knowledgeable about athletes (specifically runners) and exercise physiology?"

Yes 38 31.1%

No 80 65.6%

Borderline 4 3.2%

Comment - Of all the sections on the questionnaire, this question elicited the most emotional response. Many of the runners who answered "no" added explanation points and highlighting to their answer. Additionally, there were also a number of those who responded by a "yes" but justified their answer by writing something like "Yes- but only since I found a doctor who is also a runner."

* The runners were asked if they had ever had an injury that prevented them for running for at least one week. They were then asked to list those injuries.

Yes, I've been injured n=97 75.8%

No injuries n=31 24.2%

-Although a multitude of injuries were listed, the following is a summary of the major types of injuries realized by the runners. (Many other injuries were listed but were either vague in description or mentioned by only one runner.)

Stress fractures: of the lower leg n=21 (represents # fractures -

NOT individuals)

of the femur n=2

of the pelvis n=5

Illiotibial band n=19

Knee n=18

Plantar fasciaitis n=16

Hamstring n=12

Hip n=13

Achilles tendon n=9

Sprains n=8

"Shin splints" n=7

Sciatica n=7

Back n=7

Groin n=6

Soleus n=5

Compartment syndromes n=3

Comment - Given that the mean length of consistent running is12.8 years, it is amazing that 31 runners have not even had a week long break in their running due to injury.

* The runners were also asked to list medical conditions for which they had been treated. Those conditions that were mentioned more than twice are listed below.

Gynecologic abnormalities/surgery n=11

Asthma (general or exercise induced) n=7

Cancers (mostly breast and uterine) n=6

Ulcerative/"runners" colitis/polyps n=5

Anemia n=4

Fibrocystic breast disease n=2

Hypo/hyper thyroid n=2

* These women reported using many types of health care practitioners. In descending order, they are as follows:

Massage therapist n=69 53.9%

Podiatrist n=47 36.7%

Chiropractor n=44 34.0%

Orthopod MD/DO n=31 24.2%

Physical Therapist n=38 29.7%

Sports Medicine MD/DO n=36 28.1%

Family practice MD/DO n=24 18.8%

Internist MD/DO n=12 9.4%

OB/GYN MD/DO n=10 7.8%

Acupuncturist n=7 5.5%

Homeopath n=4 3.1%

Respirologist n=1 0.8%

Nutritionist n=1 0.8%

Gastroenterologist n=1 0.8%

- Comment - The previous question that revealed a lack of confidence in physicians is supported in practice by the patterns of seeking healthcare by the runners: non-physicians (massage therapists and chiropractors) top the list in terms of frequency of usage. Podiatrists, whose practices are obviously relevant to runners were used next in frequency and were followed only then by specialist physicians such as orthopods and sports medicine doctors.

* With regard to diet, 22.7% reported that they were vegetarians (n=29). 99 women (77.3%) were not vegetarians.

* In determining what type of dietary supplements are being used, the runners were asked to list any supplement that was taken consistently. 108 women (84.4%) , stated that they took at least one supplement on a regular basis. 20 women (15.5%) stated that they did not supplement their nutrition. The following represents the substances that are being used by this population of runners.

Multi-vitamin n=84 65.5%

Calcium n=49 38.3%

Anti-oxidant combo n=44 34.4%

Iron n=33 25.8%

Chromium n=18 14.1%

Vit. C n=14 10.9%

B complex n=5 3.9%

Ginseng n=5 3.9%

Minerals n=5 3.9%

Magnesium n=4 3.1%

Zinc n=4 3.1%

Potassium n=4 3.1%

Protein n=4 3.1%

Vit. B-12 n=3 2.3%

Those substances taken by 2 people (1.6%) are as follows: B-carotene, Echinacea, L Glutamine, L Carnitine, DHEA, Garlic, Lysine, Amino acids, Copper.

Those substance taken by just 1 person (0.8%) are as follows: shark cartilage, choline, Glucosamine, Bee pollen, "EnerPrime", "Cytomax", molybdenum, vanadium, ginko biloba, alfalfa, protease enzyme, DMO, lecithin, blue-green algae, CoQ10.

* The women completed this statement, "It is my opinion that the majority of people..."

-view my running as normal. n=4 3.1%

-view my running as an obsessive n=14 10.9%

negative behavior

-view my running as an obsessive n=68 53.1%

but positive behavior

-admire me and encourage me in n=61 47.7%

my training/racing

-other (eg. think I'm crazy, too old, n=9 7.0%

are envious, etc.)

* Asked if they had a spouse or close friend that was a runner, 104 (81.3%) women answered affirmatively while 24 (18.8%) answered "no".

* "Is your spouse or friend generally supportive of your athletic endeavors?"

Total respondents = 119

yes n=116 97.5%

no n=3 2.3%

* "Has your running ever created interpersonal difficulties with your spouse of closest friends?" If the answer was "yes", the women were asked to choose the three reasons that were most significant to their situation or to write in a reason of their own.

yes n=49 38.2%

no n=79 61.7%

Of those answering yes, the following were their reasons (in descending order.)

- "They think you spend too much time training." n=28 21.9%

- "They are concerned that you are hurting n=20 15.6%

yourself."

- "They are jealous because you train with n=17 13.3%

male runners."

- "They think that you are too tired to do n=15 11.7%

what they want to do."

- "They think you neglect other duties because n=14 10.9%

of your training."

- "They are concerned that you may be attacked n=14 10.9%

while out running."

- Other- Jealous of my success/too competitive n=7 5.5%

- "They think you spend too much money on n=4 3.1%

the sport."

- "They don't like to see you suffer." n=3 2.3%

- Other - misc. reasons, single selections n=9 2.0%each

* The women were also asked to chose from a list the three statements that most represented the greatest challenges to them as ultrarunners. The following are those statement and their selections in descending order of frequency.

- "Staying healthy and injury free" n=64 50.0%

- "Maintaining multiple roles (mother, n=62 48.4%

professional, wife, homemaker,etc)

- "The physical training itself" n=45 35.2%

- "Maintaining consistent motivation" n=43 33.6%

- "'Restraints' due to weather, darkness, n=39 30.5%

safety issues, logistics, etc."

- "Keeping from becoming 'too' obsessive- n=27 21.1%

compulsive about running

- "Keeping from physically over-training" n=25 19.5%

- "The difficulty of the racing" n=23 18.0%

- "Finding any training partners" n=13 10.2%

- "Finding female training partners" n=7 5.5%

- "Dealing with race pressure" n=6 4.7%

- Other - finding time n=5 3.9% work conflicts n=3 2.3%

misc. - n=4 0.8%each

* The runners were also asked to select three statements that best describe the reasons for running ultras. They were also permitted to offer their own reasons. The responses are listed in descending order of frequency.

- "I like the outdoor beauty of the trails/scenery." n=77 60.2%

- "I like to push myself to test the limits" n=61 47.7% - "I like the challenge of overcoming physical/ n=45 35.2%

mental pain.

- "I like doing what most women would never n=43 33.6%

think of doing."

- "I like the social aspects of training/racing." n=42 32.8%

- "I have to prove that I can physically do it." n=38 29.7%

- "I like to train. The 'race' is for fun" n=21 16.4%

- "I like to travel to races." n=17 13.3%

- "I am very competitive." n=9 7.0%

- "My friends do it." n=7 5.5%

- "I want to be one of the best." n=5 3.9%

- Other - I love running n=2 1.6%

For the health benefits n=2 1.6%

Mental discipline n=2 1.6%

Spiritual lessons/growth n=2 1.6%

Challenge of the trail itself n=2 1.6%

Improve time/position n=2 1.6%

To feel good n=2 1.6%

- "I strive to be on national/international teams." n=1 0.8%

- Other - misc. n=1 0.8%

- "I am a full-time/professional athlete." n=0 0.0%

* Lastly, the runners were asked if they had plans to run ultras long-term.

yes n=111 89.5%

no n=6 4.8%

unsure n=7 5.5%