RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Personal best marathon performance is associated with performance in a 24-h run and not anthropometry or training volume
JF British Journal of Sports Medicine
JO Br J Sports Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
SP 836
OP 839
DO 10.1136/bjsm.2007.045716
VO 43
IS 11
A1 B Knechtle
A1 A Wirth
A1 P Knechtle
A1 K Zimmermann
A1 G Kohler
YR 2009
UL http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/11/836.abstract
AB Objective: In this study, the influence of anthropometric and training parameters on race performance in ultra-endurance runners in a 24-h run was investigated.Design: Descriptive field study.Setting: 24-h run in Basel 2007.Participants: 15 male Caucasian ultra-runners (mean (SD) 46.7 (5.8 years), 71.1 (6.8 kg), 1.76 (0.07 m), body mass index 23.1 (1.84 kg/m2)).Interventions: None.Main outcome measures: Age, body mass, body height, length of lower limbs, skin-fold thicknesses, circumference of extremities, skeletal muscle mass, body mass, percentage of body fat, and training volume in 15 successful finishers were determined to correlate anthropometric and training parameters with race performance.Results: No significant association (p>0.05) was found between the reached distance and the anthropometric properties. There was also no significant association between the reached distance with the weekly training hours, running years, the number of finished marathons and the number of finished 24-h runs. The reached distance was significantly (p<0.05) positively correlated with the personal best marathon performance (r2 = 0.40) and the personal best 24-h run distance (r2 = 0.58). Furthermore, the personal best marathon performance was significantly and positively correlated (p<0.01) with the best personal 24-h run distance (r2 = 0.76).Conclusions: Anthropometry and training volume does not seem to have a major effect on race performance in a 24-h run. Instead, a fast personal best marathon time seems to be the only positive association with race performance in a 24-h run.