4 ms·

There has been a theory going around for a while, supported by a growing body of evidence, that women might actually be better at some endurance events than men

• StavrosK 7y ago
  What can a "growing body of evidence" be, when performance at these events is precisely timed? Either women win or men win.
  • comicjk 7y ago
    Race performance measures talent + training. Inasmuch as optimal training for women is less understood than for men, they may have room to improve that doesn't show up in race times. Talent at race time is also socially dependent, because it depends on recruiting, and female athletes may be less likely to be discovered. These factors came together in the 1970s to produce a rapid improvement in women's marathon times, while no corresponding drop happened for men's times. While they never caught up to men's, the women's record in 1985 was better than the men's record in 1950.
    • StavrosK 7y ago
      I see, so it's less about a growing body of evidence and more about women training better and improving their times. I'm very interested to see whether they will get as good as/better than men in some sports.
• jbob2000 7y ago
  Marathon/Ultra swimming is one where women do much better. Multiple theories as to why; higher body fat and low bone density makes it easier to float, bigger hips means more buoyancy towards the back of the body when swimming, and/or higher pain tolerance. Men can't get anywhere close to the records that women ultra swimmers set.
  • growlist 7y ago
    > higher pain tolerance myth
  • nailer 7y ago
    Confirming: there was an ultra marathon swimmer on Rogan a few months ago who does various swims between the Hawaiian islands - he said the exact same thing.
    • jbob2000 7y ago
      That's where I got this information! Great episode.
  • wtdata 7y ago
    > higher pain tolerance Are there any scientific studies confirming this?
    • jbob2000 7y ago
      I am not sure, which is why I listed this as a theory.