Women are also capable of experincing the same relative increase in VO2 max as men. But endurance events are not won by the athlete with the highest V02 max. Nor are these races all out sprints or power events. So the submaximal oxygen consumption may be of greater importance - not only in the race itself but in the training required. And when expressed in relative terms, anaerobic threshold values are similar in men and women.
Women possesss a greater capacity than men to bum fat.
Unfortunately too many women still adhere to a low fat diet, it may contribute to ill health, with amenorrhea as a common end result. We may have to wait for the answers, but probably not too long. Changing tradition and social customs takes time. And this is still not the norm. Girls are just now beginning to be trained as hard as boys.