Women runners can outlast men: study

FOR women, this will come as no surprise. But now scientists have confirmed that women really do have more endurance than men.

While men can complete races much faster, women have more staying-power – meaning that in extreme events, it’s the women that come out on top.

Canadian research has revealed that females are considerably less exhausted after dynamic muscle exercises than their male counterparts.

For the study, Brian Dalton, a professor of neurophysiology at the University of British Columbia, asked nine women and eight men to perform calf raises.

Both men and women performed equally well at the beginning of the test – but fatigue set in earlier for the men.

And after 200 repetitions, the strength of the males fell 15% more than the women.

Dalton concluded: “The answer is pretty definitive: women can outlast men by a wide margin.

“So even though they can’t hit the same maximum capacity for strength or power, they are able to perform a task for much longer.”

While only one isolated muscle group was studied, the academic said he would expect similar results for others.

And on women performing well in ultra- marathons – which are races longer than the standard 26.2 mile (42km) marathon – he said: “Males may complete them faster but females are considerably less tired by the end.

“If ever an ultra- ultramarathon is developed, women may well dominate in that arena.”

Last year US cyclist Lael Wilcox became the first woman to win the Trans Am, a 4 300mile (6 920km) race, taking her just over 18 days.

And women runners have also won five US ultra marathons, with 42-year-old Caroline Boller setting a record at the Brazos Bend 50-mile (80.4km) trail race in Texas. – Daily Mail