Women Are Better Athletes
By Joshua Stevens
Women are better endurance athletes than men. They are not faster or stronger or whatever, just better. To prove this, I will begin by saying that I am not a woman. I want this to be clear because the reasons I believe this have little to do with any bias and more to do with what I and many of us see in real life. Simply, these are observations through my life with women in partnership, working with patients, being close to my sister and mother, and generally being more interested in the ‘fairer sex’ than my own.
First, women know their bodies. They know when something is wrong and when it is right with it. It has been demonstrated that women’s bodies, with more fat stores and a lower center-of-gravity, are more adaptable and efficient in endurance sports than their typically leaner, stronger counterparts. The extra fat is helpful for aerobic metabolism and in many sports, the longer it is, the smaller the differences in finishing times there are between the sexes. Some ultra running races have been won by women. Routinely women finish in the top ten overall in these ultra races.
Women are less competitive. I didn’t say they were not competitive – simply less so. I’ve yet to see a 40-something woman chase down a 15-year-old in the finale of a Ramblin’ Rose Triathlon. Men, if on the course, are going to do battle. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what place you are in. If he can, a man will sprint past his own grandmother in the finish chute for an extra place and two seconds off his finish time. Women, while they do like to compete, seem largely to transcend the pitfalls of competition as well as the ‘un-cool’ finish line bolt-by. They spread out their effort and seem to leave it all out there, where men appear to save a little for the end just in case grandma needs to get passed.
Lastly, women are proactive, not reactive. Ladies plan ahead. They adhere to their training plans. They follow through with their race plan. They even have a post-race and recovery plan. Men jump in with both feet and are all-in with largely no greater plan than moving forward. Men react to obstacles along the way and decide in the moment how to respond. There’s nothing wrong with that, though it lacks foresight which could save valuable time and energy. Perhaps that’s why the finish line surprises them and they burst past at the last minute.
Though we may never see an woman win the Boston Marathon or Hawaii Ironman outright, they are the pinnacle of efficiency in endurance sport. Having a body built for this type of work, the right competitive attitude, and the plan for success to match, women do have the edge here. The only thing missing is that one ingredient that men possess to make them quicker and stronger… testosterone. And, I think that is a good thing!
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Joshua Stevens, D.C., is a holistic chiropractor in Chapel Hill and Durham where he utilizes chiropractic, acupuncture, detoxification, nutrition, and cold laser therapy with patients. A two-time Ironman finisher, he focuses on racing cyclocross and mountain bikes… much easier!
