Q angles sound like a good reason for "fallout" but
"Men" should know that the constant "reward" of the glowing comments made daily, if not hourly, to anorexic females about how wonderful they look and how special they are, are like a drug to the driven and competitive women who receive them. On the other hand, one can be substantially healthy and lean, but not anorexic, winning big races, and constantly be told how much better they might be at 10 or 20 pounds less weight. They also would not be able to run, train or compete as they underwent complete physical and emotional breakdown. So, just as most men never keep at it, why question the women who listen to their bodies and minds and realize that making a living takes most of their energy, and that the results to date do not indicate a professionally lucrative running career. Almost all top females have had a "breadwinner" to train with and lean on along with a big sponsorship. If they don't, they can't get above subsistance. Which female runners with any longevity are single? Many crash when their husbands leave them for a "less driven" woman (or women...)
As a 55 year old female who was "in the hunt" when the fast races and deep fields of the early 1980s were occurring, it drives me crazy that all these pontificating "guys" think they know what is what with women! (> 5 sub 2:50 marathons and 35 for 10k before colleges had teams. No coach ever!) First of all, the best women do not stop menstruating no matter how much they run, unless they are totally anorexic to the point of illness or death. Many girls work very hard and appear locally good, but if the periods stop, they (or their male coaches) need to get a clue. Less talented women will stop menstruating very quickly as the stress of their training exceeds their genetic capacity. Almost none of the top women stopped, but most all of the OK ones did. Those women are now given estrogen to replace their natural hormone not produced during starvation. They then can't tell that they are over-extended but the artifical hormones sap their competitive edge. Their hair often falls out, they get tearful. The anorexic pounds, so carefully starved off, come back on. Not a lot, but enough to ruin the top end and the VO2/kg Max. The best examples are the "One Marathon Wonders" who ran, not much more than a year, at the top of the world (and got their pictures on the cover of Runner's World) before their anorexia led to stress fractures, or chronic and ill-defined, or psychiatric illness. They almost never come back. Men will never understand that it is a full time job for a woman to become , or stay, skeletal, as is required for top competition. The only women who can stay in the game have the genetic and psychological capacity to do the work, not become amenorrheic, and run the weight off. If the running shuts off the hormones, the female is experiencing starvation or severe psychological stress due to the pressure to appear skinny to perform at the top. Try working full time and running full time and keeping the weight off and "maintaining life balance." (Oh! I forgot to mention that the gynecologist will warn that it may be difficult to have children...) The genetically gifted will have them, sometimes unplaned, and run well anyway, although many have had small for gestational age babies due to fear of gaining weight. The jury is out as to whether their kids would have been brighter, or bigger, if the women had been less self centered about avoiding the weight gain.
Anyway, having just run (and won my age group) in a local marathon 31 years after I fisrt qualified for Boston (in my very first marathon)in 1977 when the qualifying times were much tougher, as well as having a Master's in Exercise Physiology earned way back in 1981, I think I have at least minimal standing to express my thoughts. Don't expect any higher percentage of girls (and young women) to remain top notch competitive than you do males. My question is why do the majority of males (who have no Q angle problem) stop competing even though they can still beat mediocre and even most good women? They aren't even fat! Guess it might be that the rewards are all about winning for men and being anorexic for women. Not skinny enough as a female? No amount of victories will make you a household word. Not the number one finisher for your country as a male? Why bother as who will remember your name. Me... I still love to run after almost 45 years of competing in multiple sports, regardless of my time or place. And, oh, my husband left after 25 years for a younger and skinnier woman.