Health Science Reviews

By Anja van der Merwe

For as long as mankind can remember, the narrative in traditional endurance sports has been that men are faster than women. However, recent studies have shown that this may not necessarily be the case when it comes to ultra-endurance events. The performance gap between males and females in traditional endurance sports, such as the marathon, is roughly 10%. Yet, this disparity decreases to 4% in ultra-endurance sports. Furthermore, recent analysis of ultra-marathon trends over the last two decades has revealed that women were 0.6% faster than men in races spanning over 195 miles!

A review by Tiller et al. compiled all the research of sex differences on physiology and how that affects performance in ultra-distance sport. Firstly, women have a greater relative distribution of slow-twitch muscle fibres, which provides them with better resistance to fatigue. Additionally, women exhibit superior pacing strategies due to their differential decision-making. This is crucial in long-distance events, where poor energy management could result in an inability to finish the race. Men often overestimate their abilities in endurance sports, leading them to slow down significantly in the latter stages. In contrast, women are more likely to maintain a steady pace and could be likened to the tortoises in the classic tale of the tortoise and the hare.

Moreover, women have demonstrated higher rates of lipid oxidation, allowing them to conserve glycogen stores more effectively—a vital aspect of energy management. Lastly, women generally have a higher fat mass, which is often seen as a disadvantage in many sports due to its impact on speed and agility. However, in ultra-distance swimming, the lower density of fat means that women’s higher fat mass becomes an advantage, enabling them to outperform men.

In conclusion, while men may still reach the finish lines faster in shorter races, women are proving that slow and steady may indeed win the race—especially when that race is long enough to make you question your life choices.

Reference:
Tiller, N.B., Elliott-Sale, K.J., Knechtle, B., Wilson, P.B., Roberts, J.D., & Millet, G.Y., 2021. Do sex differences in physiology confer a female advantage in ultra-endurance sport? Sports Medicine, 51(4), pp.895-915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01417-2.