@johnpeniel I've read this about marathon running too. Apparently we pace ourselves better than men, who tend to be explosive at the start of a race and due to how we use energy, our bodies are better suited for endurance than men (though the gender ratio balances out again once you look at the tippy-top of world-class athletes.)
Women also persevere better in the face of atrocious weather. During the 2018 Boston Marathon's driving rain and freezing temps, drop outs due to weather were up ~12% among women while the drop outs due to weather among men skyrocketed almost 80% higher than they had been the prior year. You might be thinking that's our fat layer, and you'd probably be right, except that we ALSO tend to keep going during unusually high temperatures nearing 90° (like during the 2012 Boston Marathon.)
We also give up less frequently because we're more focused on finishing rather than winning. Men quit because it's a competition: if they can't win
the way they want to win why bother to finish? Women can re-evaluate and adjust their goals, push through pain, and also tend to reach out for encouragement (and give encouragement in return) to the women running around them, even when those women are not part of their team.
