ITRA’s Female-Focused Survey Results

Linking straight to a PDF:

While female participation in trail running grew by 1% last year, bringing women to 29% of our database, there is still significant work to be done in fostering a more balanced and supportive environment.

One of the newer focus points the results of this survey is surfacing, and something that I’ve seen before mentioned but to want to highlight here because I find it a fairly easy win for the sport is this one:

5) Realistic Cut-Off Times & More Ability Levels
Avoid overly strict cut-offs, especially early in the race, as they can disproportionately impact women. Ensure shorter races are beginner-friendly, allowing for run-walk participation and a wider range of ability levels in races.

Not every race has to be “gnar gnar deathly hard” and not every race is in such challenging location that cutoffs have to be enforced for the safety of the volunteers.