Sparling P B, O'Donnell E M, Snow T K
Department of Health and Performance Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0110, USA.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998 Dec;30(12):1725-9. doi: 10.1097/00005768-199812000-00011.
Annual world rankings from 1980-1996 were used i) to determine if the gender difference in distance running events has stabilized, and ii) to examine whether the relative decline in pace as race distance increases is different between men and women. World best (WB) and 100th best times in the 1500 m and the marathon (42 km) for each of the 17 years were the indices used to represent overall trends in men's vis-à-vis women's distance running.
These data were analyzed using regression analyses to develop and compare gender-specific equations. In the 1500 m, the gender difference in WB times (11.1 +/- 1.1%) was consistent from 1980 to 1996, and the slight rate of improvement in event depth (i.e., 100th rankings) was similar for men and women.
In the marathon, the gender difference in WB times (11.2 +/- 0.9%) was essentially the same as for the 1500 m. In 1980, the marathon was a fairly new event for the women, having only just been sanctioned by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF). As a consequence, the depth of the field increased quickly from 1980 to 1984. Since the mid-1980s, the rate of improvement for women in 100th-ranked times has leveled off to equal that of men. The average declines in relative pace for men and women from the 1500 m to the 10 km to the marathon were found to be remarkably similar with no diminishing of the gender difference as race distance increased.
Based on worldwide indices of competitive distance running, the gender difference in distance running performance has plateaued in recent years. Concomitantly, over the past decade, opportunities for women to train and compete have approached parity with those of men. It is likely that the current gender difference in performance will remain fairly constant because of biological differences between men and women that give men an advantage in distance running.
使用1980 - 1996年的年度世界排名来：i）确定长跑项目中的性别差异是否已趋于稳定；ii）研究随着比赛距离增加，男女速度相对下降情况是否不同。17年中每年1500米和马拉松（42公里）项目的世界最佳成绩（WB）以及第100名最佳成绩被用作代表男子与女子长跑总体趋势的指标。
使用回归分析对这些数据进行分析，以建立和比较针对性别的方程。在1500米项目中，1980年至1996年世界最佳成绩的性别差异（11.1 +/- 1.1%）保持一致，男子和女子在项目深度（即第100名排名）上的轻微提高率相似。
在马拉松项目中，世界最佳成绩的性别差异（11.2 +/- 0.9%）与1500米项目基本相同。1980年，马拉松对女子来说是一项相当新的赛事，刚刚被国际业余田径联合会（IAAF）批准。因此，从1980年到1984年，参赛选手深度迅速增加。自20世纪80年代中期以来，女子第100名成绩的提高率已趋于平稳，与男子相当。从1500米到10公里再到马拉松，男子和女子相对速度的平均下降幅度非常相似，且随着比赛距离增加，性别差异并未缩小。
基于全球竞争性长跑指标，近年来长跑成绩的性别差异已趋于平稳。与此同时，在过去十年中，女性训练和参赛的机会已接近与男性平等。由于男女之间的生物学差异使男性在长跑中具有优势，目前的成绩性别差异可能会保持相当稳定。
