新西兰超马运动员Sophie Wood用29天完成了阿尔卑斯山脉Via Alpina路线，覆盖约2000公里并攀升超过100000米，创造了该赛事的总体纪录，[1]比此前的男子纪录快超过7天。[1]在这一极限挑战中，Wood平均每晚仅睡眠3-4小时，[1]后期睡眠甚至少至90分钟，每天消耗6000-7000卡路里。[1]她表示"睡眠剥夺是整个过程中最难的部分"。[1]
科学数据表明，女性在超长距离耐力赛中正在缩小与男性的差距。[1]根据RunRepeat与国际超马运动员协会分析超500万条来自15000场超马比赛成绩的研究，在100英里距离处，性别差距已降至0.25%；而在195英里以上的超长距离比赛中，女性运动员平均甚至比男性快0.6%。[1]近年来多位女性运动员相继打破了男子纪录。Rachel Entrekin在2026年赢得Cocodona 250超马赛，[1]Tara Dower在2025年打破Long Trail男子纪录2小时40分钟，[1]Fiona Kolbinger在2019年成为首位赢得Transcontinental Race的女性，领先第二名男选手近8小时。[1]
Wood指出"女性在运动研究中被遗忘了几十年"，[1]呼吁增加对女性运动员的研究、报道和赞助。[1]
New Zealand ultra-marathoner Sophie Wood has set an overall course record on the Via Alpina route across the Alps, completing the approximately 2,000-kilometer journey in 29 days—more than seven days faster than the previous men's record [1]. Wood's achievement reflects a broader trend in ultra-distance racing, where women are increasingly challenging long-held male dominance in endurance sports.
Wood's feat was physically demanding, requiring her to ascend over 100,000 meters while averaging just 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night and consuming 6,000 to 7,000 calories daily [1]. In the latter stages of the route, her sleep dropped to as little as 90 minutes, which she described as "the hardest part of the entire process" [1]. Her victory represents one of several recent breakthroughs by female competitors in elite ultra-marathons, including Rachel Entrekin's 2026 win at the Cocodona 250, Tara Dower's 2025 breaking of the Long Trail men's record by 2 hours and 40 minutes, and Fiona Kolbinger becoming the first woman to win the Transcontinental Race in 2019, finishing nearly 8 hours ahead of the second-place male competitor [1].
Research increasingly supports the competitive viability of women in ultra-endurance events. An analysis of over five million results from 15,000 ultra-marathons conducted by RunRepeat and the International Association of Ultra-Runners found that the gender gap at the 100-mile mark has narrowed to 0.25 percent, and at distances exceeding 195 miles, women now average 0.6 percent faster than men [1]. Wood has called for greater investment in women's sports, stating that "women have been forgotten in sports research for decades" and advocating for increased research, media coverage, and sponsorship opportunities for female athletes [1].