An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide The aim of this study was to analyze the number of successful finishers and the performance of athletes at 100 km ultra marathons worldwide. A total of 2067 100 km ultra-marathon races were analyzed with 369,969 men and 69,668 women between 1960 and 2019, including the number of successful runners, age, sex and running speed. The results showed a strong increase in the number of running events and a strong increase in the number of participants in the 100 km ultra marathons worldwide. The difference between men and women disappeared in athletes that were older than 60 years.Nevertheless, the running speed of athletes has improved over 70 years every decade.In contrast, the performance gap remains among the three best athletes over all decades. The performance difference between the sexes is not significant in recent age groups (20-29 years) and the oldest age groups (> 90 years) for recreational athletes and at top 3 athletes over 70 years.
In summary shows a 100 km ultra marathon, especially for older athletes, an increasing number of opponents and a stronger power demand.This will be of interest in the future both from scientific and a sporting point of view for coaches and athletes. The whole evaluation can be downloaded below https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/362/htm