The gender difference in distance running performance has plateaued: an analysis of world rankings from 1980 to 1996

Sparling, Phillip B.; O'Donnell, E. M.; Snow, Teresa K.

doi:10.1097/00005768-199812000-00011

Cited by 93 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…[49,50] Interestingly, Speechly et al [51] reported that females, who were matched with males for a 42-km run, were faster than males in a 90-km race. Similarly, it has been shown that females and males who were matched for 50-km trail running performance also performed similarly in trail runs of 80-and 161-km distances.…”

Section: Sex Differences In Triathlon Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…[52] Despite the suggestion in 1992 that females may one day outrun males in competitive ultra-endurance events [53] , elite males appear to run approximately 10-12% faster than elite females across all endurance running race distances up to marathon, with the sex difference narrowing as the race distance increases. [49,50] However, at distances greater than 100km, such as the 161-km ultramarathon, the difference seems even larger, with females 20-30% slower than males. [49,54,55] Insert TABLE 1…”

Section: Sex Differences In Triathlon Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

2013

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The influences of sex and age upon endurance performance have previously been documented for both running and swimming. A number of recent studies have investigated how sex and age influence triathlon performance, a sport that combines three disciplines (swimming, cycling and running), with competitions commonly lasting between two (Short distance : 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) and eight hours (Ironman distance: 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42 km run) for elite triathletes. Age and sex influences upon performance have also been investigated for ultra-triathlons with distances corresponding to several Ironman distances and lasting several days, and for off-road triathlons combining swimming, mountain biking and trail running. Triathlon represents an intriguing alternative model for analyzing the effects of age and sex upon endurance and ultra-endurance (> 6 hours) performance because sex differences and age-related declines in performance can be analyzed in the same persons across the three separate disciplines. The relative participation of both females and masters athletes (age > 40 years old) in triathlon has increased consistently over the past 25 years. Sex differences in triathlon performance are also known to differ between the modes of locomotion adopted (swimming, cycling or running) for both elite and non-elite triathletes.Generally, time differences between sexes in swimming have been shown to be smaller on average than during cycling and running. Both physiological and morphological factors contribute to explaining these findings. Performance density (i.e. the time difference between the winner and 10 th placed competitor) has progressively improved (time differences have decreased) for international races over the past two decades for both males and females, with performance density now very similar for both sexes. For age-group triathletes, sex differences in total triathlon performance time increases with age. The possible difference in age-related changes in the physiological determinants of endurance and ultra-endurance performances between males and females needs further investigation however. Non-

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Section: Sex Differences In Triathlon Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sex Differences In Triathlon Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

2013

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“…Although some authors have questioned whether the gap in gender difference in endurance performance could be closed (Bam, Noakes, Juritz, & Dennis, 1997;Coast, Blevins, & Wilson, 2004;Whipp, & Ward 1992), more recent studies could not confirm this assumption showing that the gender difference in both endurance performance (Cheuvront, Carter, DeRuisseau, & Moffart, 2005;Sparling, O'Donnell, & Snow, 1998) and anaerobic sprints (Seiler, De Koning, & Foster, 2007) is no longer diminishing. Coast et al (2004) for example analysed the gender difference in running performances at distances from 100 m to 200 km.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and gender interactions in short distance triathlon performance

Etter

Knechtle

Bukowski³

et al. 2013

Journal of Sports Sciences

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This study investigated the participation and performance trends as well as the age and gender interaction at the Olympic distance 'Zürich Triathlon' (1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) from 2000 to 2010 in 7,939 total finishers (1,666 females and 6,273 males). Female triathletes aged from 40 to 54 years significantly (P < 0.05) increased their participation while the participation of younger females and males remained stable. Males of 50-54 years of age and females of 45-49 years of age improved their total race time. For elite top five overall triathletes, mean gender differences in swimming, cycling, running and overall race time were 15.2 ± 4.6%, 13.4 ± 2.3%, 17.1 ± 2.5%, and 14.8 ± 1.8%, respectively. For both elite and age group athletes, the gender difference in cycling time was significantly (P <0.001) lower than for swimming and running. The gender difference in overall Olympic distance triathlon performance increased after the age of 35 years, which appeared earlier compared to long distance triathlon as suggested by previous studies. Future investigations should compare gender difference in performance for different endurance events across age to confirm a possible effect of exercise duration on gender difference with advancing age. AbstractThis study investigated the participation and performance trends as well as the age and gender interaction at the Olympic distance 'Zürich Triathlon' (1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) from 2000 to 2010 in 7,939 total finishers (1,666 females and 6,273 males). Female triathletes aged from 40 to 54 years significantly (P < 0.05) increased their participation while the participation of younger females and males remained stable. Males of 50-54 years of age and females of 45-49 years of age improved their total race time. For elite top five overall triathletes, mean gender differences in swimming, cycling, running and overall race time were 15.2±4.6%, 13.4±2.3%, 17.1±2.5%, and 14.8±1.8%, respectively. For both elite and age group athletes, the gender difference in cycling time was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than for swimming and running. The gender difference in overall Olympic distance triathlon performance increased after the age of 35 years, which appeared earlier compared to long distance triathlon as suggested by previous studies. Future investigations should compare gender difference in performance for different endurance events across the age to confirm a possible effect of exercise duration on gender difference with advancing age.

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“…For HC, the sex difference showed rather large fluctuations across the years but remained greater than 25% for the top three athletes. These values are much greater compared with traditional values around 10-12% reported in the literature for able-bodied runners (Hunter, et al 2011;Lepers & Cattagni, 2012;Sparkling, O'Donnell & Snow, 1998). Coutts and Schutz (1988) have reported that sex differences in performance were 15% for 200 m and 23% for the 5000 m track, respectively.…”

Section: Sex Difference In Performancementioning

confidence: 73%

Analysis of marathon performances of disabled athletes

Lepers

Stapley

Knechtle

2013

Mov Sport Sci/Sci Mot

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Abstract. The aim of this study was to examine the participation and performance trends in wheelchair marathon for wheelchair (WC) and hand cycle (HC) athletes. Age and time performance data for all athletes in the WC and HC categories who completed the "New York City Marathon" from 1999 to 2010 were analyzed. During this period, there were 698 total finishers (132 women and 566 men) for WC athletes and 776 total finishers (141 women and 635 men) for HC athletes. Women accounted for ∼20% of the total field for both categories. For both men and women, the age of the winner and the mean age of all finishers were significantly (P < 0.01) younger for WC compared with HC athletes. For men, the race times were significantly (P < 0.01) shorter for the HC winner and overall finishers compared with WC counterpart. Since 2003, the sex difference in time performances for WC athletes stabilized at ∼25%, while the sex difference for HC athletes was more variable (15-45%). Future studies need to investigate the reasons why HC marathoners are older than WC marathoners and why the sex differences in marathon performance are much greater for disabled athletes than for able-bodied athletes.Key words: Endurance, sex difference, disabled athlete, spinal cord injury Résumé. Analyse des performances sur marathon des athlètes handisports.Le but de cetteétudeétait d'analyser la participation et les performances sur marathon des athlètes handisports en fauteuils roulants classiques (WC) et en fauteuils avec pédalage des bras ou Handbike (HC). L'âge et les performances chronométriques de tous les athlètes ayant participé au marathon de New-York, dans les catégories WC et HC, ontété analysés entre 1999 et 2010. Durant cette période, un total de 698 athlètes WC (132 femmes et 566 hommes) et 776 athlètes HC (141 femmes et 635 hommes) ont terminé la course. Les femmes représentaient ∼20 % du total des arrivants dans les deux catégories. Les athlètes en catégorie WCétait significativement (P < 0,01) plus jeunes en comparaison des athlètes HC, aussi bien chez les femmes que chez les hommes. Chez les hommes, les performances chronométriquesétaient meilleures (P < 0,01) pour les athlètes HC que pour les athlètes WC. Depuis 2003, la différence de performance entre les hommes et les femmes s'est stabilisée aux alentours de 25 % pour les athlètes WC, alors qu'elleétait plus variables (15-45 %) pour les athlètes HC. Desétudes ultérieures devront expliquer pourquoi sur marathon les athlètes HC sont plusâgés que les athlètes WC, et pourquoi la différence de performance au marathon entre les hommes et les femmes est plus grande dans les catégories handisports que pour les athlètes valides.

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The gender difference in distance running performance has plateaued: an analysis of world rankings from 1980 to 1996

Cited by 93 publications

References 7 publications

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

Age and gender interactions in short distance triathlon performance

Analysis of marathon performances of disabled athletes

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