Women reduced the sex difference in open-water ultra-distance swimming. ‘La Traversée Internationale du Lac St-Jean’ 1955-2012

Abstract

In La Traversée Internationale du Lac St-Jean, held between 1955 and 2012 in Canada, the fastest women (r(2) = 0.61, p < 0.0001) and men (r(2) = 0.66, p < 0.0001) improved swimming speed over the years but the sex difference remained unchanged at 8.8% ± 5.6% (r(2) = 0.069, p = 0.065). Annually, for the 3 fastest swimmers, both women (r(2) = 0.53, p < 0.0001) and men (r(2) = 0.71, p < 0.0001) improved swimming speed between 1973 and 2012 and the sex difference decreased (r(2) = 0.29, p = 0.0016) from 14.4% ± 11.0% (1973) to 3.7% ± 1.4% (2012).