It is not a good idea to make fifty kilometres the regulation distance for women as well during the 4Days Marches. This is the conclusion drawn in a study commissioned by Stichting DE 4DAAGSE and headed up by Maria Hopman. Together with various researchers from Nijmegen’s Radboud University, physiology professor Maria Hopman studied the impact of taking part in the 4Days Marches on both men and women. Her conclusion: ‘I would not change the regulation distances, as forty kilometres is challenging enough for many women.’

On the back of the ongoing debate in society about equality and gender, calls have emerged in recent years for men and women to be treated equally when it comes to the regulation distance they are required to walk in the 4Days Marches. Traditionally, the 4Days Marches has always differentiated between walkers based on age and gender in terms of the required performance, i.e. the distance to be walked during the 4Days Marches. The assumption was that women on average have less physical capacity than men. This was, however, not specific to the 4Days Marches, it was the general norm.

Social developments

The 4Days Marches is a high-profile event in the Netherlands and the world that can be expected to be in tune with developments in society. The study commissioned by Stichting DE 4DAAGSE was, therefore, a logical next step in a debate on participant equality that has been going on for some time and has already led to, among other things, abolition of the ‘certificate distance’ back in 2006. The conclusions drawn by Hopman’s research team, the publication of which had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will support Stichting DE 4DAAGSE in deciding whether or not to change regulation distances.

Lots of data available

Researchers from Radboud University had been monitoring a considerable group of male and female 4Days Marches participants for several years. When Hopman was asked to assess whether the 4Days Marches is harder for women than it is for men, she had several years’ worth of data to fall back on. She used data on walkers who took part in the 4Days Marches between 2007 and 2019 and was able to combine this data with Stichting DE 4DAAGSE’s own data on finish times and withdrawal rates for the same years. ‘We have been conducting studies around the 4Days Marches for quite some time and have collected a significant amount of data. When Stichting DE 4DAAGSE came to us with the request, we could dive into our own data right away.’

Conclusions

After comparing the performance of male and female participants, the researchers concluded that even walking forty kilometres is already harder for women than it is for men. Hopman: ‘While the required effort in itself is not much greater for women, we do see that men, on average, need less time to complete this distance. Women, therefore, have to maintain the same effort for longer and, consequently, have less time to recover. As a result, more women than men withdraw on this distance. What we can, in our view, conclude from that is that a distance of forty kilometres is sufficiently challenging for the average woman.’ The fact that the withdrawal rate among men is similar to that among women on both the thirty-kilometre and fifty-kilometre distances is something that Hopman can explain quite easily. ‘The withdrawal rate among those walking thirty kilometres is low for both groups. This is because this distance is generally walked by somewhat older and, therefore, better trained participants. For them - both men and women - walking thirty kilometres is very doable. Among those walking fifty kilometres, you can see a difference in motivation. Men are required to walk this distance, because it’s the regulation distance for men. The relatively small group of women walking this distance does so voluntarily and has made a conscious choice to do so. On average, these are physically (even) stronger women, meaning that this group is not representative of all women.’

Fewer women when making fifty kilometres the regulation distance

Hopman fears that fewer women will take part if fifty kilometres is made the regulation distance for women as well. ‘And that would just be a terrible shame. You want more women to take part in this fantastic event, not fewer. In fact, what strikes me with the current distances is that there are relatively more men than women from higher age categories taking part, while older women far outnumber older men in our population. I think that while many men take on the challenge, women are more likely to think they can’t do it. It would then be a shame to make the threshold to participate even higher by making women walk an even tougher distance.’

The Olympics also differentiates

Finally, Hopman draws a comparison to other sports. ‘There are various studies that show that women have better endurance than men. But again, these studies looked at a select group, it doesn’t translate to the general population. It is simply a fact that women have less muscular strength, are smaller, and take smaller steps, and walk more slowly as a result. It is a difference in build and that is, unfortunately, not something you can change. Just take a look at the Olympics, where men outperform women in a lot of disciplines. This is why men and women compete in separate events.’

What this means for the future

Stichting DE 4DAAGSE will continue to closely track the science and walkers’ opinions. For now, the organisation will not make any changes to the regulation distances. Should any further research be needed, Hopman would be willing to oblige, together with her team. ‘We don’t think further research is necessary at this point. The research group is fairly big and we have been able to collect our data over a period spanning more than ten years. But as and when a new question is raised by the organisers, we will be happy to help.’