During a marathon, at the 30th kilometer, you may at any moment hit the infamous “wall”. Exhausted, your body gives in, and you find yourself dragging your no longer responsive carcass on the remaining ten kilometers. For women, this legendary “wall” seems to materialize even before the start of the race. In 2021, at the starting line of marathons in France, only 20% of women were present, compared to 28% in half marathons (21 km) and over 40% for 10 km races.
“We are not ‘programmed’ for this kind of challenge. Women are raised in aesthetic or health sports, with gentle practices,” says Elisa, 32. Another complaint for female runners, who have never run more than a 15 km: “We are never pushed. In running Facebook groups, when a woman posts her time, she is told it is already very good, not bad at all… In other words, that it is enough and there is no need to do more. Men are more challenged and therefore seek more performance.”
The lack of women in the discipline leads to a vicious circle. “We have fewer female role models running the marathon, so we project ourselves less into this challenge,” says Nathalie, 57, who highlights that she waited a long time before seeing her first female marathon runner. For a long time, the marathon was forbidden to women. It wasn’t until 1967 that a woman officially ran the distance despite being forbidden in Boston, and 1984 to see the women’s event at the Olympic Games.
Maëva, 42, flips the question: “Why do so many men run marathons?” And indeed, outside of the pride of displaying their medal in the open space the next day, running 42 kilometers in a row serves no purpose. Whether for aesthetic, health, or physical fitness criteria, shorter and less taxing races will be much more optimal – in addition to drastically reducing the risk of injury. “It’s a guy thing to always want to do more, run more, show that we are the strongest,” mocks Maëva. Women don’t need that, and we won’t complain about being less stupid than them.
For those still tempted by the adventure, there remains a major obstacle: preparing for it. Ophélia, a passionate runner and Instagram influencer with 20,000 followers, already has three marathons under her belt. On social media, she tries to convince other women to take the plunge: “I talk a lot with women who have signed up for their first marathon. The distance scares them, but it is mostly the preparation that makes them doubt most of the time.”
Any serious coach will tell you: count on at least three sessions per week for a minimum of three months. “It’s a preparation that is far too time-consuming with the mental load we have to deal with. While running, I will feel guilty, thinking that I should rather take care of the children, help them with their homework, prepare meals, etc.,” says Melanie, 28, who limits herself to half marathons. Especially on one session: the sacred long run, essential to prepare the legs to cover the 42,195 km. “But for me, a two-hour run is impossible,” she continues. “I can’t leave the kids alone for that long. Between work and the end of daycare, I have 45 minutes, which is enough to train and perform on shorter distances, but incompatible with a marathon.”
Not to mention that a long run often means moving away from home – unless you enjoy going back and forth for 500 meters. And here again, women are at a disadvantage: “Running for a long time means being subjected to more annoying remarks, and being afraid if I am far from the city. I can ‘handle’ a comment on my butt during a forty-minute run, but five comments in two hours of running become frankly depressing.”
This quarterly regularity with almost no downtime raises another limit. “The hyper-regular and progressive training plans do not take women and their periods into account at all,” adds Milene, 27. “When I’m in too much pain, I can’t run. And of the 15,000 methods to succeed in your marathon on the Internet, none mention this problem that concerns half of the population.”
A more reasonable side can also be explained. “I feel that we, women, are more diligent, and we will not embark on a project unless we are sure of preparing for it perfectly,” says Marise, 32, who finally completed the “queen” distance in 2023 after ten years of running. “Men are capable of going on a half marathon after a month of training on a whim or a challenge with friends, for example. We prepare more slowly, but better, I think.” The same goes for Ophelia: “I think most don’t dare because the distance is scary. Women tend to ask themselves more questions, and if they commit, it is to be sure to finish.”
At the grueling Boston Marathon in 2018, in apocalyptic conditions of rain and cold, 5% of men had dropped out, as did 3.8% of women. Upset with these numbers, some have suggested that women’s higher body fat percentage better protected them from the cold. Problem with this theory that is not very fair: in the same race in 2012, when the thermometer displayed scorching 30 degrees, women, once again, dropped out less than men.
