Strava Data Confirms Women Are Smarter Racers

November 21, 2023

After years of stagnation post-pandemic, more women are racing marathons in 2023, with an 18 percent increase from 2022. Not only are more women racing, but they are making incredible strides.

Strava said women were more likely to hit their goal in all pace groups. For runners targeting a finish under three hours, women were 33 percent more likely to meet their goal and 12 percent more likely to meet their goal under four hours.

Plenty of runners don’t finish in their race time, but even when missing their goal, women fared slightly better than men, finishing an average 8.2 percent slower than their goal time compared to 8.7 percent for men.

With such high statistical levels of success, it makes one wonder what success looks like for the next generation of female runners. If data tells us anything, we can expect new records and loftier goals on the horizon. Womens Running