Dataset Information

Physiological and Race Pace Characteristics of Medium and Low-Level Athens Marathon Runners.

ABSTRACT: This study examined physiological and race pace characteristics of medium- (finish time < 240 min) and low-level (finish time > 240 min) recreational runners who participated in a challenging marathon route with rolling hills, the Athens Authentic Marathon. Fifteen athletes (age: 42 ± 7 years) performed an incremental test, three to nine days before the 2018 Athens Marathon, to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), maximal aerobic velocity (MAV), energy cost of running (ECr) and lactate threshold velocity (vLTh), and were analyzed for their pacing during the race. Moderate- (n = 8) compared with low-level (n = 7) runners had higher (p < 0.05) VO2 max (55.6 ± 3.6 vs. 48.9 ± 4.8 mL·kg-1·min-1), MAV (16.5 ± 0.7 vs. 14.4 ± 1.2 km·h-1) and vLTh (11.6 ± 0.8 vs. 9.2 ± 0.7 km·h-1) and lower ECr at 10 km/h (1.137 ± 0.096 vs. 1.232 ± 0.068 kcal·kg-1·km-1). Medium-level runners ran the marathon at a higher percentage of vLTh (105.1 ± 4.7 vs. 93.8 ± 6.2%) and VO2 max (79.7 ± 7.7 vs. 68.8 ± 5.7%). Low-level runners ran at a lower percentage (p < 0.05) of their vLTh in the 21.1-30 km (total ascent/decent: 122 m/5 m) and the 30-42.195 km (total ascent/decent: 32 m/155 m) splits. Moderate-level runners are less affected in their pacing than low-level runners during a marathon route with rolling hills. This could be due to superior physiological characteristics such as VO2 max, ECr, vLTh and fractional utilization of VO2 max. A marathon race pace strategy should be selected individually according to each athlete's level.

SUBMITTER: Myrkos A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7552741 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Physiological and Race Pace Characteristics of Medium and Low-Level Athens Marathon Runners.

Myrkos Aristides A Smilios Ilias I Kokkinou Eleni Maria EM Rousopoulos Evangelos E Douda Helen H

Sports (Basel, Switzerland) 20200821 9

This study examined physiological and race pace characteristics of medium- (finish time < 240 min) and low-level (finish time > 240 min) recreational runners who participated in a challenging marathon route with rolling hills, the Athens Authentic Marathon. Fifteen athletes (age: 42 ± 7 years) performed an incremental test, three to nine days before the 2018 Athens Marathon, to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO<sub>2</sub> max), maximal aerobic velocity (MAV), energy cost of running (ECr) and ...[more]

PMID: 32825626

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Project description:IntroductionIn the marathon, how runners pace and fuel their race can have a major impact on race outcome. The phenomenon known as hitting the wall (HTW) refers to the iconic hazard of the marathon distance, in which runners experience a significant slowing of pace late in the race, typically after the 20-mile mark, and usually because of a depletion of the body's energy stores.AimThis work investigates the occurrence of significant late-race slowing among recreational marathoners, as a proxy for runners hitting the wall, to better understand the likelihood and nature of such slowdowns, and their effect on race performance.MethodsUsing pacing data from more than 4 million race records, we develop a pacing-based definition of hitting the wall, by identifying runners who experience a sustained period of slowing during the latter stages of the marathon. We calculate the cost of these slowdowns relative to estimates of the recent personal-best times of runners and compare slowdowns according to runner sex, age, and ability.ResultsWe find male runners more likely to slow significantly (hit the wall) than female runners; 28% of male runners hit the wall compared with 17% of female runners, χ2(1, N = 1, 928, 813) = 27, 693.35, p < 0.01, OR = 1.43. Such slowdowns are more frequent in the 3 years immediately before and after a recent personal-best (PB) time; for example, 36% of all runners hit the wall in the 3 years before a recent PB compared with just 23% in earlier years, χ2(1, N = 509, 444) = 8, 120.74, p < 0.01, OR = 1.31. When runners hit the wall, males slow more than females: a relative slowdown of 0.40 vs. 0.37 is noted, for male and female runners, when comparing their pace when they hit the wall to their earlier race (5km-20km) pace, with t(475, 199) = 60.19, p < 0.01, d = 0.15. And male runners slow over longer distances than female runners: 10.7km vs. 9.6km, respectively, t(475, 199) = 68.44, p < 0.01, d = 0.17. Although, notably the effect size of these differences is small. We also find the finish-time costs of hitting the wall (lost minutes) to increase with ability; r2(7) = 0.91, p < 0.01 r2(7) = 0.81, p < 0.01 for male and female runners, respectively.ConclusionsWhile the findings from this study are consistent with qualitative results from earlier single-race or smaller-scale studies, the new insights into the risk and nature of slowdowns, based on the runner sex, age, and ability, have the potential to help runners and coaches to better understand and calibrate the risk/reward trade-offs that exist as they plan for future races.

Project description:Introduction:Marathon, as a long-distance aerobic exercise, has become a fashionable or popular sport. However, little is known about the holistic metabolic changes occurring within the serum metabolome of athletes after the completion of a marathon. Objectives:The goal of current study was to have an in-depth understanding of the impact of marathon on human metabolomics as well as the relationships among a variety of metabolites. Methods:The 20 studied subjects were all adult males who participated in a marathon. The serum samples of these participants were collected before and after the marathon and the biochemical metabolites in the serum were identified by an untargeted two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results:All participants completed the marathon within 3?h. Compared to those before exercise, serum urea and creatine kinase, as well as cortisol, elevated significantly (p?<?0.05), whereas testosterone decreased significantly (p?<?0.01). Metabolomic analysis showed that, compared to those before the competition, metabolites pyruvic acid, glyceric acid, malic acid, cis-aconitic acid, galacturonic acid, methyl fumaric acid, maltotriose, and others increased significantly after the competition (p?<?0.05), but glucosamine and O-succinyl-L-homoserine decreased significantly (p?<?0.05). Amino acid indexes, such as alanine, L-tyrosine and phenylalanine, increased significantly after exercise compared with those before exercise (p?<?0.05), whereas serine, valine and asparagine decreased significantly (p?<?0.05). Lipid metabolism indexes, glycerol, glyceric acid, octanoic acid, and quinic acid increased significantly (p?<?0.05). Theophylline, xanthine and other indicators of caffeine metabolism increased significantly (p?<?0.05). Furthermore, marathon performance, fat percentage, VO2max, and hemoglobin were correlated with the serum metabonomic indicators, so were serum testosterone and cortisol. Conclusion:These results illustrate that the metabolism of glucose and lipid of the athletes was enhanced following the marathon match. In addition, the metabolism of glucosamine was decreased and the metabolism of caffeine was increased. Our data provide new insights for marathon performance and nutritional status.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Replication studies are essential for identifying credible associations between alleles and phenotypes. Validation of genotype-phenotype associations in the sports and exercise field is rare. An initial genetic association study suggested that rs1049305 (C > G) in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the aquaporin-1 (AQP1) gene was associated with marathon running (MR) performance level in Hispanic males. To validate this finding, we conducted a replication analysis in an independent case-control sample of Hispanic male marathon runners (n = 1430; cases n = 713 and controls n = 717). A meta-analysis was utilized to test the extent of the association between the initial results and the present report. It also provided to test the heterogeneity (variation) between the two studies. RESULTS:The replication study showed a statistically significant (p ? 0.05) association between rs1049305 (C > G) of the AQP1 gene and MR performance level. Association test results using a fixed effect model for the combined, original study and the present report, yielded an odds ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval = 1.13-1.45, p = 0.0001. The extent of the measures of heterogeneity was Tau-squared = 0, H statistic = 1, I2 statistic = 0, and Cochran's Q test (Q = 0.29; p value 0.59), indicated the variation between studies were due to chance and not to differences in heterogeneity between the two studies. Within the limitations of the present replication, contrast of two studies and its effects on meta-analysis, the findings were robust. CONCLUSION:This study successfully replicated the results of Martínez et al. (Med Sportiva 13:251-5, 2009). The meta-analysis provided further epidemiological credibility for the hypothesis of association between the DNA rs1049305 (C > G) variation in the 3'UTR of the AQP1 gene and MR running performance level in Hispanics male marathon runners. It is not precluded that a linked DNA structure in the surrounding molecular neighborhood could be of influence by been part of the overly complex phenotype of MR performance level.

Project description:BackgroundIn the last decades, marathon running has become a popular form of physical activity among people around the world. It should be noticed that the main marathon races are performed in large cities, where air quality varies considerably. It is well established that breathing polluted air results in a number of harmful effects to the human body. However, there have been no studies to show the impact of marathon run performance on the amount of the deposition of varied fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) in the respiratory tract of runners. This is why the present study sought to determine the impact of marathon run performance in the air of varying quality on the deposition of the PM1, PM2.5, PM10 in the respiratory tract in humans.MethodsThe PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 deposition was determined in an "average runner" (with marathon performance time 4 h: 30 min) and in an "elite marathon runner" (with marathon performance time 2 h: 00 min) at rest, and during a marathon race, based on own measurements of the PM content in the air and the size-resolved DF(d) profile concept.ResultsWe have shown that breathing air containing 50 µg m-3 PM10 (a borderline value according to the 2006 WHO standard - still valid) at minute ventilation (VE) equal to 8 L min-1 when at rest, resulted in PM10deposition rate of approximately 9 µg h-1, but a marathon run of an average marathon runner with the VE = 62 L min-1 increased the deposition rate up to 45 µg h-1. In the elite runner, marathon run with the VE= 115 L min-1 increased PM10 deposition rate to 83 µg h-1. Interestingly, breathing the air containing 50 µg m-3of PM10 at the VE = 115 L min-1by the elite marathon runner during the race resulted in the same PM10deposition rate as the breathing highly polluted air containing as much as 466 µg m-3 of PM10 when at rest. Furthermore, the total PM10 deposition in the respiratory tract during a marathon race in average runners is about 22% greater (203 / 166 = 1.22) than in elite runners. According to our calculations, the concentration of PM10in the air during a marathon race that would allow one not to exceed the PM10 deposition rate of 9 µg h-1should be lower than 10 µg m-3 in the case of an average runner, and it should be lower than 5.5 µg m-3 in the case of an elite runner.ConclusionsWe conclude that a marathon run drastically increases the rate of deposition of the airborne PM in the respiratory tract of the runners, as a consequence of the huge VE generated during the race. A decrease of the PM content in the air attenuates this rate. Based on our calculations, we postulate that the PM10 content in the air during a "clean air marathon run", involving elite marathon runners, should be below 5.5 µg m-3.

Dataset Information

Physiological and Race Pace Characteristics of Medium and Low-Level Athens Marathon Runners.

Publications

Physiological and Race Pace Characteristics of Medium and Low-Level Athens Marathon Runners.

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