Courtney Dauwalter addresses her male opponents by first name: She was 16 times better than her. In the Transngrancanaria (128 kilometers) she used only 61 minutes more than Andreu Simón and was seventh overall
Courtney Dauwalter (Minnesota, United States, 1985) took victory with an insulting superiority running through the steep ravines of Gran Canaria in one of the most attractive events on the Spartan Trail World Championship international circuit: La Trasngrancanaria, a 128 kilometer long and 7,060-mile race meters of positive bumps that traverse the island from north to south. Never before has a woman gone under 15 in this race, where the American not only dominated the women’s category from start to finish to sign her first win on Spanish soil, but also reopened the debate over physical and mental strength after finishing seventh in the race. general classification: she only had a worse record than six men. Only 61 minutes more than the male winner: Andreu Simón from Barcelona.
The American, a former science teacher who once decided to trade cross-country skis for mountain races, has won 19 of the 21 races she has competed in since 2018 and counts among her achievements the HardRock100 in the United States (a race that has taken place on more than 3,300 meters in altitude), the Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc (170 kilometers), the Diagonal des Fous on Reunion Island (160 km) and the MOAB 240 in Utah, a 383 kilometer race that he completed in 2 days, 9 hours and 55 minutes, beating the men’s champion by 10 hours. From that moment on he runs for Salomon’s team. He has finished on the podium in 75% of the 87 races he has competed in since his debut in 2011, taking 51 wins in that time. With all these achievements, in addition to the prizes and records, the athlete has achieved something else with great courage: to show that women can be stronger than men. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time she’s been able to address her male opponents by first name. He was 16 times better than her.
An extensive study (‘The State of Ultra Running’), based on the analysis of more than five million ultramarathon results worldwide, over 20 years, has determined that women have more capacity, resistance and performance in ultra distances than men. Which shows that the differences between the sexes in running exist, but without only one of the two sexes benefiting from it. Other published papers also point to this trend and point out some of the essential reasons. According to a Danish study on the marathon world, women are more regular and sensible with the pace of the race. This allows them to self-regulate better and to run more slowly during the first kilometers of a test, so that their strength and their organism are much better preserved during the kilometers covered.
In general, women have a greater distribution of slow twitch fibers, Dr. Nicholas Tiller, Professor of Applied Physiology at Sheffiel Hallam University in an interview with the BBC. Those muscle fibers fatigued less and are better adapted to resistance. “Men still tend to have bigger muscles and higher maximum capacity, such as strength and aerobic power, which are the reasons why women generally cannot compete with men over shorter distances, such as a conventional marathon,” she says .
In the 2019 edition of the Spine Race in Wales, considered by many to be Europe’s toughest long-distance race, British runner Jasmin Paris became the first woman to win the event, having covered 430km in 83 hours 12 minutes. «The physiological differences in this type of race are minor, since the component of some hormones and muscular or cardiovascular capacities, which are higher in males, are less relevant and the part of the utilization of lipid metabolism and management is more important. race,” says Kílian Jornet – the best trail runner of them all – in a recent interview with La Vanguardia. It also points to another element, which is the narrowing of the gender gap in old age and over long distances, according to an article in the “Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.” The more distance, the more factors other than strength come into play. “A race of more than 24 hours requires physical strength, of course, but also mental resistance, resilience and knowing how to solve problems,” said Dauwalter during her stay in Gran Canaria, where she once again proved herself to be an atypical runner. wearing basketball pants lengths, a permanent smile on his face and knowing that the first thing he wants to drink after reaching the finish line is a beer.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
