Previous research has suggested that the difference in performance between women and men might decrease as the distance increases. Differences in the amount of fatigue that develops in men and women during races may be part of the explanation. In this study, the researchers examined the neuromuscular system before and after a 110 km trail running race and measured the effects of the race on brain and central nervous system fatigue as well as muscle fatigue.The study found that men had more overall fatigue (combination of neural and muscular factors) than women in the quadriceps muscles and also greater muscle fatigue in the calf muscles. These results suggest that less fatigue in women may explain reports of women performing better in extremely long distance races.
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