BACKGROUND
The sex difference in athletic performance has been thoroughly investigated in single sport disciplines such as swimming, cycling, and running. In contrast, only small samples of long-distance triathlons, such as the IRONMAN® triathlon, have been investigated so far.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to examine a potential sex difference in the three split disciplines by age groups in 5-year intervals in a very large data set of IRONMAN® age group triathletes.
METHODS
Data from 694,769 (557,839 men and 136,930 women) IRONMAN® age group triathletes (in 5-year intervals from 18-24 to 75+ years) finishers between 2002 and 2022 in all official IRONMAN® races worldwide were analyzed. The sex differences in performance between women and men were determined for each split discipline and overall race performance.
RESULTS
Most finishers were in the age group 40-44 years. The fastest women were in the age group 25-29 years, and the fastest men were in the age group 30-34 years. For all split disciplines and overall race time, men were always faster than women in all groups. The sex difference was more significant in cycling compared to swimming and running. From the age group 35-39 years until 60-64 years, the sex differences were nearly identical in swimming and running. For both women and men, the sex difference was least significant in the age group 18-24 years for all split disciplines and increased in a U-shaped manner until the age group 70-74 years. For the age groups 75 years and older, the sex difference decreased in swimming and cycling but increased in running.
CONCLUSIONS
The sex difference in the IRONMAN® triathlon was least significant in the age group 18-24 years for all split disciplines and increased in a U-shaped manner until the age group 70-74 years. For 75 years and older, the sex difference decreased in swimming and cycling but increased in running.
CLINICALTRIAL
-