Abstract
BackgroundThe present study examined the sex difference in swimming (7.8 km), cycling (360 km), running (84 km), and overall race times for Double Iron ultra-triathletes.MethodsSex differences in split times and overall race times of 1,591 men and 155 women finishing a Double Iron ultra-triathlon between 1985 and 2012 were analyzed.ResultsThe annual number of finishes increased linearly for women and exponentially for men. Men achieved race times of 1,716 ± 243 min compared to 1,834 ± 261 min for women and were 118 ± 18 min (6.9%) faster (p < 0.01). Men finished swimming within 156 ± 63 min compared to women with 163 ± 31 min and were 8 ± 32 min (5.1 ± 5.0%) faster (p < 0.01). For cycling, men (852 ± 196 min) were 71 ± 70 min (8.3 ± 3.5%) faster than women (923 ± 126 min) (p < 0.01). Men completed the run split within 710 ± 145 min compared to 739 ± 150 min for women and were 30 ± 5 min (4.2 ± 3.4%) faster (p = 0.03). The annual three fastest men improved race time from 1,650 ± 114 min in 1985 to 1,339 ± 33 min in 2012 (p < 0.01). Overall race time for women remained unchanged at 1,593 ± 173 min with an unchanged sex difference of 27.1 ± 8.6%. In swimming, the split times for the annual three fastest women (148 ± 14 min) and men (127 ± 20 min) remained unchanged with an unchanged sex difference of 26.8 ± 13.5%. In cycling, the annual three fastest men improved the split time from 826 ± 60 min to 666 ± 18 min (p = 0.02). For women, the split time in cycling remained unchanged at 844 ± 54 min with an unchanged sex difference of 25.2 ± 7.3%. In running, the annual fastest three men improved split times from 649 ± 77 min to 532 ± 16 min (p < 0.01). For women, however, the split times remained unchanged at 657 ± 70 min with a stable sex difference of 32.4 ± 12.5%.ConclusionsTo summarize, the present findings showed that men were faster than women in Double Iron ultra-triathlon, men improved overall race times, cycling and running split times, and the sex difference remained unchanged across years for overall race time and split times. The sex differences for overall race times and split times were higher than reported for Ironman triathlon.
Highlights
The present study examined the sex difference in swimming (7.8 km), cycling (360 km), running (84 km), and overall race times for Double Iron ultra-triathletes
Sex difference in overall race times The 1,591 male finishers achieved a mean overall race time of 1,716 ± 243 min compared to the 155 female finishers with 1,834 ± 261 min and were 118 ± 18 min (6.9%) faster (p < 0.01) (Figure 2A)
The main findings were the following: (1) men were faster than women for overall race times and split times, (2) men improved in the overall race times and split times in cycling and running, (3) the sex difference remained unchanged over time for both overall race time and split times, and (4) the sex differences for overall race times and split times were higher than reported for Ironman triathlon
Summary
The present study examined the sex difference in swimming (7.8 km), cycling (360 km), running (84 km), and overall race times for Double Iron ultra-triathletes. Triathlon is a multi-sports competition covering the three endurance disciplines swimming, cycling, and running in this subsequent order. The most popular long-distance triathlon is the Ironman distance triathlon covering 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling, and 42 of km running [1,2,3]. The first Ironman triathlon was held in 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and involved 12 male finishers [1]. The first Double Iron ultratriathlon was held in 1985 in Huntsville (USA), where 23 men finished [4]. The first European Double Iron ultra-triathlon was held in Colmar (France) [7]. Since the first event in 1985, participation progressively increased with an improvement of race times [4]
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