In a 100-Mile Race That Demands Both Physical and Mental Fortitude, Women Set the Pace

Ultramarathons may be the ultimate endurance leveling ground. Half of the top 30 finishers at this year’s Western States 100-mile race were women.

She had finished the Western States 100-mile race in Auburn, Calif., in late June with a time of 17 hours 10 minutes 42 seconds, the second fastest ever run by a woman. Only six runners, all men, beat her to the finish line.

Pascall found herself in good company, quickly. Ruth Croft finished some 23 minutes later in ninth, and Ragna Debats completed the race less than eight minutes after her. It was the first time three women had finished the grueling race in the top 10.

The number of women at the top of the results list increased as the night progressed: Nine in the top 20; 15 in the top 30; and a tally of 17 in the top 35.

“That’s a big deal,” Corrine Malcolm, an ultrarunner and coach who co-hosted live commentary of the race, said. “Combined with the fact that the rest of the field didn’t perform as well, it’s a powerful story. The women performed exceptionally well.”

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