Are women better than men at endurance running?
Recent record-breaking performances by female athletes in ultra-endurance running have sparked a debate about whether women possess physiological advantages in extreme distances. Experts are examining whether the performance gap between genders narrows as race distances increase.
Why it matters
This research challenges traditional assumptions about gender-based physical performance limits in sports science.
Are women better than men at endurance running?
Image source, Zoe Salt By Sarah Dawkins BBC Sport Senior Journalist "The race is too hard for women. They are simply not tough enough to do it."
Those are the words of Lazarus Lake, race director of the Barkley Marathons - one of the world's hardest ultramarathons which to date, of the approximate 1,000 people who have started, only 20 have ever completed.
Speaking in 2015 and daring for someone to prove him wrong, it took nine years until a British ultra-runner did just that.
Completing the extreme 100-mile course with just one minute 39 seconds to spare of the 60-hour cut-off, Jasmin Paris from Midlothian made history and cemented her name in the ultra-running history books.
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