When considering the marathons you have observed, it may seem that men generally excel over women in sports.
However, a recent review published in the journal Sports Medicine has sparked a debate on this topic. The performance difference between men and women in ultra-endurance events (typically lasting over six hours) is approximately 4 percent, compared to around 10 percent in traditional endurance sports.
Interestingly, the gap appears to diminish as the race distance increases. In events like ultra-distance swimming, women can even surpass men in performance, as seen in the Manhattan Marathon where top women have outperformed top men by 12 to 14 percent on average over the past three decades.
There are various theories as to why women may excel in ultra-endurance events. Physiologically, women have more Type I muscle fibers, which are suited for long-lasting activities, while men have more Type II muscle fibers, better for high-intensity sports like sprinting.
Another theory suggests that women might be better at utilizing fat as fuel, providing them with more carbohydrate reserves and reducing the likelihood of hitting “the wall” during a race.
Some sports psychologists propose that women may have a higher pain tolerance, perceive fatigue differently, and focus on the process rather than the outcome, contributing to their performance.
While these theories are intriguing, the limited number of women participating in ultra-endurance events makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Hopefully, with time, more research will shed light on this topic.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
