Survey reveals that women are better runners than men

Faster doesn’t mean better. The analysis of RunRepeat covers 2,348,505 marathon results achieved during the 2009-2019 period. The purpose was to analyze differences in pace throughout the marathon between women and men. 

The data has shown that women are 18.33% better at keeping an even pace than men. They burn out less in the 2nd half of the marathon. 

Pacing differences: women vs. men

An increase of 14.07% in the average pace for men during the second half of the marathon was observed, as opposed to an 11.49% increase for women, showing that women are 18.33% better at keeping an even pace than men. 

Almost 92% of the participants, both women and men, ran the first half of the marathon faster than the second one, even though running at an equal pace is optimal for performance, with the best athletes aiming for such results. 

Men had better average finish times, but women are better at pacing. This stands for both groups: those who ran the first half of the marathon faster and those who ran the second half faster. 

Runners who started a bit slower are more likely to run the marathon at a more even pace than those who have started faster, as shown in the table below.

Country-specific pace stats 

Women who are best at keeping an even pace throughout the marathon have the smallest burnout % (the difference between the pace during the 1st and the 2nd half of the marathon). Top 5 countries with such women are shown below. 

When we compare the burnout % of women vs. men, we get the list of top 5 countries where women are best pacers compared to men.

If you’re looking for more data on running, read Run Repeat’s study on the state of running: it is the first global mapping of the worldwide running population and, by far, the largest study on running in history.

Source: www.runrepeat.com