More to do with age than anything. The boys in this sample are a full 16% slower than world record pace for their sex, while the (slightly older) women are a me

More to do with age than anything. The boys in this sample are a full 16% slower than world record pace for their sex, while the (slightly older) women are a mere 2% slower for theirs. To me, this suggests that the boys haven't yet finished tuning their bodies and their techniques to maximize running efficiency, which matters more than pure power for 5km and up.