In this overview, we summarize the findings of the literature with regards to physiology and pathophysiology of ultra-marathon running. The number of ultra-marathon races and the number of official ...finishers considerably increased in the last decades especially due to the increased number of female and age-group runners. A typical ultra-marathoner is male, married, well-educated, and ~45 years old. Female ultra-marathoners account for ~20% of the total number of finishers. Ultra-marathoners are older and have a larger weekly training volume, but run more slowly during training compared to marathoners. Previous experience (e.g., number of finishes in ultra-marathon races and personal best marathon time) is the most important predictor variable for a successful ultra-marathon performance followed by specific anthropometric (e.g., low body mass index, BMI, and low body fat) and training (e.g., high volume and running speed during training) characteristics. Women are slower than men, but the sex difference in performance decreased in recent years to ~10-20% depending upon the length of the ultra-marathon. The fastest ultra-marathon race times are generally achieved at the age of 35-45 years or older for both women and men, and the age of peak performance increases with increasing race distance or duration. An ultra-marathon leads to an energy deficit resulting in a reduction of both body fat and skeletal muscle mass. An ultra-marathon in combination with other risk factors, such as extreme weather conditions (either heat or cold) or the country where the race is held, can lead to exercise-associated hyponatremia. An ultra-marathon can also lead to changes in biomarkers indicating a pathological process in specific organs or organ systems such as skeletal muscles, heart, liver, kidney, immune and endocrine system. These changes are usually temporary, depending on intensity and duration of the performance, and usually normalize after the race. In longer ultra-marathons, ~50-60% of the participants experience musculoskeletal problems. The most common injuries in ultra-marathoners involve the lower limb, such as the ankle and the knee. An ultra-marathon can lead to an increase in creatine-kinase to values of 100,000-200,000 U/l depending upon the fitness level of the athlete and the length of the race. Furthermore, an ultra-marathon can lead to changes in the heart as shown by changes in cardiac biomarkers, electro- and echocardiography. Ultra-marathoners often suffer from digestive problems and gastrointestinal bleeding after an ultra-marathon is not uncommon. Liver enzymes can also considerably increase during an ultra-marathon. An ultra-marathon often leads to a temporary reduction in renal function. Ultra-marathoners often suffer from upper respiratory infections after an ultra-marathon. Considering the increased number of participants in ultra-marathons, the findings of the present review would have practical applications for a large number of sports scientists and sports medicine practitioners working in this field.
While studies on large samples of recreational runners have often relied on participants’ self-reported height and body mass, the validity of these data have not been investigated for this ...population. Hence, this study sought to examine the validity of self-reported anthropometric measures among recreational marathon runners. Female (n = 32) and male (n = 135) recreational marathon runners were requested to estimate their body mass and height (and we calculated their self-reported body mass index BMI), after which we took actual measures of their body mass and height and calculated their actual BMI. Participants’ self-reported values underestimated their actual body mass by 0.65 kg (p < .001, η2 = 0.222) and their actual BMI by 0.35 kg ⋅ m−2 (p < .001, η2 = 0.245). There was a significant Assessment Method × Sex Interaction for both body mass (p = .019, η2 = 0.033) and BMI (p = .017, η2 = 0.034), as women underestimated body mass values more than men. Participants overestimated their height by 0.44 cm (p < .001, η2 = 0.075), but the interaction of sex and assessment method for height was not statistically significant. Underestimates of body mass correlated with marathon racing speed (r = .24, p = .006) and body fat percentage (r = −.29, p = .001) in men, but not in women (p > .05). The disagreement between self-reported and measured anthropometric data in the present sample was lower than has been previously reported for the general population, suggesting that marathon runners may more accurately self-perceive and/or report their anthropometric characteristics. These findings are of practical value for health professionals and researchers (e.g., nutritionists and exercise physiologists) questionnaires to recreational marathon runners.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a strong negative impact on economic and social life worldwide. It has also negatively influenced people's general health and quality ...of life. The aim of the present study was to study the impact of social distancing on physical activity level, and the association between mood state (depression and anxiety level) or sex with actual physical activity levels, the change in physical activity caused by social distancing period, the adhesion level to social distancing, the adoption time of social distancing, family income and age.
A self-administered questionnaire with personal, quarantine, physical activity, and mood state disorders information's was answered by 2140 Brazilians of both sex who were recruited through online advertising.
The physical activity level adopted during the period of social distancing (3.5 ± 0.8) was lower than that the adopted prior to the pandemic period (2.9 ± 1.1, p < 0.001). Thirty percent of the participants presented symptoms of moderate/severe depression and 23.3% displayed moderate/severe anxiety symptoms. A greater presence of symptoms related to anxiety and depression were associated with low physical activity levels, low family monthly income, and younger age. A higher percentage of men who had no mood disorders was observed among those who were very active than among those less active.
The COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on physical activity. Those who reduced their level of physical activity had the highest levels of mood disorders. Therefore, physical activity programs should be encouraged, while respecting the necessary social distancing to prevent the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.
Results from linear regression with complete dataset time = sex×(year+year2)+sex×(age+age2)+sex×nationality and referenced to male, age 44, year 2009 and nationality Australia. Interaction with race ...site, results from truncated regression with complete data set time = sex×(year+year2)+sex×(age+age2) + sex×nationality×site and referenced to male, age 44, year 2009 and nationality Australia. Interaction with race site, results from linear regression with truncated dataset time = sex×(year+year2)+sex×(age+age2) + sex×nationality×site and referenced to male, age 44, year 2009, site at home and nationality Australia.
Endurance athletes need a regular and well-detailed nutrition program in order to fill their energy stores before training/racing, to provide nutritional support that will allow them to endure the ...harsh conditions during training/race, and to provide effective recovery after training/racing. Since exercise-related gastrointestinal symptoms can significantly affect performance, they also need to develop strategies to address these issues. All these factors force endurance athletes to constantly seek a better nutritional strategy. Therefore, several new dietary approaches have gained interest among endurance athletes in recent decades. This review provides a current perspective to five popular diet approaches: (a) vegetarian diets, (b) high-fat diets, (c) intermittent fasting diets, (d) gluten-free diet, and (e) low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diets. We reviewed scientific studies published from 1983 to January 2021 investigating the impact of these popular diets on the endurance performance and health aspects of endurance athletes. We also discuss all the beneficial and harmful aspects of these diets, and offer key suggestions for endurance athletes to consider when following these diets.
This study aimed to identify variations in weekly training load, training monotony, and training strain across a 10-week period (during both, pre- and in-season phases); and to analyze the ...dose-response relationships between training markers and maximal aerobic speed (MAS), maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength. Twenty-seven professional soccer players (24.9±3.5 years old) were monitored across the 10-week period using global positioning system units. Players were also tested for maximal aerobic speed, maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength before and after 10 weeks of training. Large positive correlations were found between sum of training load and extension peak torque in the right lower limb (r = 0.57, 90%CI0.15;0.82) and the ratio agonist/antagonist in the right lower limb (r = 0.51, 0.06;0.78). It was observed that loading measures fluctuated across the period of the study and that the load was meaningfully associated with changes in the fitness status of players. However, those magnitudes of correlations were small-to-large, suggesting that variations in fitness level cannot be exclusively explained by the accumulated load and loading profile.
A recent study investigating the top 10 100-km ultra-marathoners by nationality showed that Japanese runners were the fastest worldwide. This selection to top athletes may lead to a selection bias ...and the aim of this study was to investigate from where the fastest 100-km ultra-marathoners originate by considering all finishers in 100-km ultra-marathons since 1959.
We analysed data from 150,710 athletes who finished a 100-km ultra-marathon between 1959 and 2016. To get precise estimates and stable density plots we selected only those nationalities with 900 and more finishes resulting in 24 nationalities. Histograms and density plots were performed to study the distribution of race time. Crude mean, standard deviation, median, interquartile range (IQR), mode, skewness and excess of time for each nationality were computed. A linear regression analysis adjusted by sex, age and year was performed to study the race time between the nationalities. Histograms, density and scatter plots showed that some races seemed to have a time limit of 14 hours. From the complete dataset the finishes with more than 14 hours were removed (truncated dataset) and the same descriptive plots and analysis as for the complete dataset were performed again. In addition to the linear regression a truncated regression was performed with the truncated dataset to allow conclusion for the whole sample. To study a potential difference between races at home and races abroad, an interaction term race site home/abroad with nationality was included in the model.
Most of the finishes were achieved by runners from Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and USA with more than 260'000 (85%) finishes. Runners from Russia and Hungary were the fastest and runners from Hong Kong and China were the slowest finishers.
In contrast to existing findings investigating the top 10 by nationality, this analysis showed that ultra-marathoners from Russia, not Japan, were the fastest 100-km ultra-marathoners worldwide when considering all races held since 1959.
Objectives
We have a weak understanding of how aerobic training may influence migraine, and the optimal parameters for exercise regimens as migraine therapy are not clear. The objectives of this ...study were to assess, first, effects of two different intensities of aerobic exercise on migraine headache indices; second, serum neuro-biomarker in women migraineurs.
Methods
A total of 45 non-athlete female migraine patients were selected by a neurologist and randomly divided into three groups: control (CON), moderate-intensity aerobic training (MOD T), and high-intensity aerobic training (HIGH T). Before and after the training protocol, body composition factors, migraine pain indices, VO
2
max, and serum Adenylate-Cyclase Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) and Substance P (SP) were measured. Exercise training protocol includes two different intensities of aerobic exercise: Moderate (13–15 Borg Scale, 60–80% HRmax) and High (15–17 Borg Scale, 65–95% HRmax).
Results
Moderate-intensity aerobic training (MOD T) reduced headache intensity, frequency, and duration in women with migraine (
p
< 0.001, for all). Also, high-intensity aerobic training (HIGH T) reduced headache intensity, frequency, and duration (
p
< 0.001, for all). However, for headache intensity and duration, MOD T was effective rather than HIGH T (
p
< 0.001;
p
≤ 0.05, respectively). In addition, neither MOD T nor HIGH T could not alter PACAP and SP contents (
p
= 0.712;
p
= 0.249, respectively).
Conclusions
Our results demonstrated that either MOD T or HIGH T could modify migraine pain indices but neither MOD T nor HIGH T could not alter the PACAP and SP contents in women with migraine.
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