Women runners are better than men at keeping even pace: why that helps and how they manage it
- New research shows women are 18.33 per cent better at keeping an even pace than men, likely to be a psychological edge over more ego-driven males
- Good pacing enables non-elite runners to perform better, achieve personal bests and feel a sense of achievement rather than a short-term adrenaline fix
Men may be faster at running certain distances than women but the latest research shows that females are better at keeping an even pace and are less likely to experience burnout.
An analysis of 2.3 million marathon results from 2009 to 2019 revealed women were 18.33 per cent better at keeping an even pace than men, according to research by shoe retailer and reviewer RunRepeat.
Research earlier this year from RunRepeat found that the longer the distance, the smaller the gap between men and women’s times in percentage terms, with female ultrarunners actually faster on average than male ultrarunners at distances over 314km (195 miles).
The findings add to a growing body of research that concludes that female runners of all ages are better at pacing during endurance events.
A 2019 paper by European sports scientists argued that women had better fatigue tolerance due to fatigue-resistant type I muscle fibres and were able to better use fat when taking part in long-distance running.