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Men Hit The Wall Twice As Often As Women, 873,000-Runner Berlin Study Finds
(marathonhandbook.com)
men more often [...] tolerate higher risk in competitive contexts.
This was de-emphasized in the study, as the study didn't look into psychological factors at all - but it squares with my understanding.
A typical woman, eg, may have her splits and race to her splits, resulting in a predictable result.
A typical man, otoh, may have his splits but then -consciously or subconsciously - he will gamble that the excitement of race day will give him the boost he needs to achieve an excellent result. So he's more likely to blow up in the second half. It would be interesting to know how often the gamble pays off, too