Question: Is there any athletic endeavor where women can compete heads up against men at the top level?

It would seem that the answer is "no." But we now have a contender. In the world of ultra-marathons (distances upwards of 50 miles and commonly 100+ miles), women are increasingly competitive at the top level. Even in regular marathons, the time difference between the top woman and top man is often a matter of only a few minutes.

There is apparently a pretty big tradeoff between muscle strength and mass in long distance running. Muscle is good for running of course so men should have an advantage here, but mass is bad (think of having to lug an extra 20-30 pounds for 100 miles) and here women should have an advantage. For shorter distances, the advantages of muscles outweigh the disadvantages of mass. This is why is is doubtful a woman would ever compete with a man (at the elite level) in the 100 meter dash. But at longer distances, the advantage of muscle stength is at some point offset by the disadvantage of added weight, and women can compete effectively.

If anyone has any other nominations for athletic events where women are competitive with men at the elite level, please e-mail me.