Start: 05h30 at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Finish: 17h30 at Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead in Durban, South Africa
Distance: 89km – 56 miles

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Superior Sex

Lured you in with the title didn't I? Bahahaha, get your head out of the gutter. I'm referring to why women are often the superior sex when it comes to ultramarathons. Continuing today's trend of articles/blogs for thought, here's an interesting piece on how extreme endurance running often favors female runners. Physically women aren't equipped to compete with men in shorter, faster distances; hence why elite men and women runners race in different fields. However, ultramarathons require more than just a strong heart and set of lungs. Physical size, joint health, and mental concentration are equally important, and it's these qualities that allow women, such as Diana Finkel and Pam Reed, to tromp their male competitors.

The author also touches on the psychological differences between men and women that can give female runners an edge:
"...I firmly believe that good women endurance athletes are also psychologically better than. Men tend to think 'harder, faster, stronger;' women tend to think with more determination and tenacity. Especially the kind of woman who tackles ultra endurance events."
Not naming names, but sound familiar, anyone?

4 comments:

  1. Hehehe, yay! Why - because women > men or because the title starts off with sex? ;0

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  2. I hope to achieve a post also tagged with "cheap ploy" at some time in the future. Not sure why. Just sounds like a good goal.

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