The Two-hour Marathon: What's the Equivalent for Women?

Authors

Sandra K. Hunter, Marquette UniversityFollow
Michael J. Joyner, Mayo Clinic
Andrew M. Jones, Exeter University

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

3 p.

Publication Date

5-15-2015

Publisher

American Physiological Society

Source Publication

Journal of Applied Physiology

Source ISSN

0021-8987

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00852.2014

Abstract

The principal characteristic of the runner who may break the two-hour barrier in the marathon will be their sex: the person will be male. The fastest men outperform the fastest women because of sex differences in physiology including a higher VȮ2 max. This viewpoint addresses the questions of what is the two-hour equivalent for women, and who will break this barrier? The current sex difference in the world record for the marathon is ~10% which is slightly less than the mean sex difference in performance usually documented between elite men and women distance runners. Based on comparisons of the top 50 marathon times run by men and women, we argue that Paula Radcliffe's world record of 2:15:25 (hr:min:s) set in 2003 is at least equivalent to a two-hour marathon for women. We also provide evidence that there is less depth in elite women's distance running, in part, due to historical and social factors that have led to less opportunity for women than men.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 118, No. 10 (May 15, 2015): DOI. © 2015 American Physiological Society. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Hunter, Sandra K.; Joyner, Michael J.; and Jones, Andrew M., "The Two-hour Marathon: What's the Equivalent for Women?" (2015). Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications. 58.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/exsci_fac/58