Abstract
Objectives
Core temperature (TCORE), skin temperature (TTORSO) and running kinematics were measured across different athlete categories at a World Cup Sprint Triathlon, occurring during a heatwave (~ 25–31 °C Wet Bulb Globe Temperature [WBGT]).
Methods
Sixty-six triathletes participated: 21 World Cup (7 females), 32 Hong Kong-Elite (HK-Elite; 8 females) and 13 Amateur (6 females).
Results
Seventeen triathletes displayed a TCORE > 40.0 °C and two > 41.0 °C. Peak TCORE was not different between athlete categories (World Cup: 39.7 ± 0.6 °C; HK-Elite: 39.9 ± 0.8 °C; Amateur: 39.5 ± 0.8 °C; p = 0.357). However, there was an interaction between race phase and category (p = 0.001). Changes in TCORE for World Cup (2.4 ± 0.4 °C) and HK-Elite (2.5 ± 1.0 °C) were greater than for Amateurs (1.5 ± 0.7 °C). Peak TTORSO was higher in HK-Elites during afternoon races compared with morning World Cup races (p
Description
This study investigates thermal and biomechanical responses of triathletes in extreme heat conditions.