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. 2023 Sep 21;9(1):88.
doi: 10.1186/s40798-023-00636-x.

Comparing the Performance Gap Between Males and Females in the Older Age Groups in IRONMAN® 70.3: An Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study of More Than 800,000 Race Records

Beat Knechtle  1   2 , David Valero  3 , Elias Villiger  4 , Mabliny Thuany  5 , Marilia Santos Andrade  6 , Pantelis T Nikolaidis  7 , Ivan Cuk  8 , Katja Weiss  9
Affiliations

Comparing the Performance Gap Between Males and Females in the Older Age Groups in IRONMAN® 70.3: An Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study of More Than 800,000 Race Records

Beat Knechtle et al. Sports Med Open. .

Abstract

Background: The sex difference in the three split disciplines (swimming, cycling, and running) and overall race times in triathlon races has mainly been investigated for the Olympic distance and IRONMAN® triathlon formats, but not for the half IRONMAN® distance, i.e., the IRONMAN® 70.3. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sex differences in IRONMAN® 70.3 by age group in 5-year intervals for the split disciplines of this race. Data from 823,459 records (625,393 males and 198,066 females) of all age group finishers (in 5-year intervals) competing in all official IRONMAN® 70.3 races held worldwide between 2004 and 2020 were analyzed, and sex differences by age group and split disciplines were evaluated.

Results: Males were faster than females in all split disciplines and all age groups. The sex difference was lower in swimming than in cycling and running and less pronounced for triathletes between 20 and 50 years of age. After the age of 60 years, females were able to reduce the sex difference to males in swimming and cycling, but not in running, where the reduction in the sex difference started after the age of 70 years. The lowest sex difference was in the age group 75 + years for swimming and cycling and in the age group 30-34 years for running. Across age groups, the sex difference was U-shaped in swimming and running, with an increase after 18-24 years in swimming and after 40-44 years in running. In contrast, the sex difference decreased continuously with the increasing age for cycling.

Conclusions: In conclusion, the study found that the sex difference in performance decreases with age in the IRONMAN® 70.3 race distance. However, females did not outperform males at older ages. Notably, sex differences were observed across different disciplines, with swimming displaying lower differences compared to cycling and running. These findings underscore the complex interplay between age, sex, and performance in endurance sports, emphasizing the need for additional research to understand the factors influencing these differences.

Keywords: Age group; Cycling; Master athlete; Multi-sport; Running; Sex differences; Swimming; Ultra-endurance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors Beat Knechtle, David Valero, Elias Villiger, Mabliny Thuany, Marilia Santos Andrade, Pantelis T. Nikolaidis, Ivan Cuk, and Katja Weiss declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participants by event status and sex (DNS = Did Not Start; DNF = Did Not Finish; DQ = Disqualified)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The female and male finishers trend between 2004 and 2020
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The average (solid line) ± standard deviation (colored bars) and best race times for male and female participants in the Ironman 70.3 between 2004 and 2020
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Split and overall race times histograms for females and males
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Violin plots of split and full race times by age group and sex. Swimming, cycling, running and overall race time from top to bottom
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Violin plots of split and full race times by age group and sex. Swimming, cycling, running and overall race time from top to bottom
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Percent change in time between females and males by age group and split disciplines
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