Abstract
d:The aim of the present study was to compare the trends in participation, performance and age of finishers in‘Badwater’and‘Spartathlon’as two of the toughest ultramarathons in the world of more than 200 km of distance. Methods:Running speed and age of male and female finishers in Badwater and Spartathlon were analyzed from 2000 to 2012. Age of peak performance and sex difference in running speed were investigated during the studied period. Results:The number of female and male finishes increased in Badwater and Spartathlon. Women accounted on average for 21.5% ± 6.9% in Badwater and 10.8% ± 2.3% in Spartathlon. There was a significant increase in female participation in Badwater from 18.4% to 19.1% (p< 0.01) and in Spartathlon from 11.9% to 12.5% (p= 0.02). In men, the age of finishers was higher in Badwater (46.5 ± 9.3 years) compared to Spartathlon (44.8 ± 8.2 years) (p< 0.01). The age of female finishers of both races was similar with 43.0 ± 7.5 years in Badwater and 44.5 ± 7.8 years in Spartathlon (p> 0.05). Over the years, the age of the annual five fastest men decreased in Badwater from 42.4 ± 4.2 to 39.8 ± 5.7 years (p< 0.05). For women, the age remained unchanged at 42.3 ± 3.8 years in Badwater (p> 0.05). In Spartathlon, the age was unchanged at 39.7 ± 2.4 years for men and 44.6 ± 3.2 years for women (p> 0.05). In Badwater, women and men became faster over the years. The running speed increased from 7.9 ± 0.7 to 8.7 ± 0.6 km/h (p< 0.01) in men and from 5.4 ± 1.1 to 6.6 ± 0.5 km/h (p< 0.01) in women. The sex difference in running speed remained unchanged at 19.8% ± 4.8% (p> 0.05). In Spartathlon, the running speed was stable over time at 10.8 ± 0.7 km/h for men and 8.7 ± 0.5 km/h
± 0.7 to 8.7 ± 0.6 km/h (p< 0.01) in men and from 5.4 ± 1.1 to 6.6 ± 0.5 km/h (p< 0.01) in women. The sex difference in running speed remained unchanged at 19.8% ± 4.8% (p> 0.05). In Spartathlon, the running speed was stable over time at 10.8 ± 0.7 km/h for men and 8.7 ± 0.5 km/h for women (p> 0.05). The sex difference remained unchanged at 19.6% ± 2.5% (p> 0.05). Conclusions:These results suggest that for both Badwater and Spartathlon, (a) female participation increased, (b) the fastest finishers were approximately 40 to 45 years, and (c) the sex difference was at approximately 20%. Women will not outrun men in both Badwater and Spartathlon races. Master ultramarathoners can achieve a high level of performance in ultramarathons greater than 200 km under extreme conditions. Keywords:Running, Ultra-endurance, Extreme conditions, Age, Sex differences * Correspondence:beat.knechtle@hispeed.ch 2 Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, St. Gallen 9000, Switzerland 4 Facharzt FMH für Allgemeinmedizin, Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, Vadianstrasse 26, St. Gallen 9001, Switzerland Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2013 da Fonseca-Engelhardt et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
Background In the past two decades, the field of ultra-endurance events defined as performance exceeding 6 h [1] has widened to a new arena in the sport of long-distance performances in particular ultra-running [2-4] and ultra- triathlon [5-7]. Today, more than a hundred thousand of ultramarathoners compete in more than a thousand races held annually around the world [8]. In recent years, the growth of ultra-endurance sports has drawn increased attention to investigate participa- tion and performance trends [2,9,10]. A major focus of research in endurance sports was the sex difference in performance [11]. In the analysis of the world’s best times of female marathoners from 1980 to 1996, women were approximately 11% slower than men, although there was initially a considerable improvement in female running speed in the 1980s [12]. A similar sex difference for running speed has been found when running times between 100 m and 200 km were compared. Women were generally running approximately 12.4% slower than men [13]. In 160-km ultramarathons, the performance of the fastest women remained approximately 20% slower than that of the fastest men after an initial im- provement relative to men throughout the 1980s [2]. In the shorter 100-km distance in the‘100 km Lauf Biel’, the running times of the annual top ten finishers remained stable from 1998 to 2010 for women, while running times significantly increased for the annual top ten men [10]. The trend in sex difference was narrowing over time and averaged to 22% [10]. In both endurance and ultra-endurance events, a high- level performance seemed to be maintained until the age of 30 to 40 years, followed by a modest decrease until the age of 50 to 60 years, with a progressively acceler- ated decline after the age of 70 to 75 years [14-22]. The study of Hoffman [9] showed that peak running speed of the top performers in a 161-km ultramarathon was achieved by athletes in the age of upper 30 to 40 years. These results suggested an age shift into higher age in elite ultramarathon running in comparison with elite marathon running, where the fastest running
of 70 to 75 years [14-22]. The study of Hoffman [9] showed that peak running speed of the top performers in a 161-km ultramarathon was achieved by athletes in the age of upper 30 to 40 years. These results suggested an age shift into higher age in elite ultramarathon running in comparison with elite marathon running, where the fastest running speed were achieved by athletes of approximately 30 years of age [19]. Among the ultra-running events, the‘Badwater’[23] in the USA and the‘Spartathlon’[24] in Greece, Europe are recognized as two of the toughest running events worldwide. The common feature of both nonstop races is the distance of more than 200 km. The Badwater is characterized by its environmental conditions with ex- treme high temperatures and large altitude differences to overcome, while the Spartathlon is well known for its cut-off regulations with strict time limitations, apart from its unique historical background. To date, no study investigated the participation and running speed of female and male ultramarathoners competing in races longer than 200 km under extreme conditions such as heat and time limit. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to investigate (1) participation and performance trends and (2) the age of peak running speed in ultramarathons of more than 200-km race distance. Based upon present findings, we hypothesized (1) an increase in participation and an improvement in performance and (2) an age of peak ultramarathon performance between 30 and 40 years. Methods The data set for this study was obtained from the race websites of Badwater [23] and Spartathlon [24]. Running speed and age of all female and male finishers in Badwater and Spartathlon between 2000 and 2012 were analyzed. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of St. Gallen, Switzerland, with waiver of the requirement for informed consent given that the study involved the analysis of publicly available data. Badwater The event was established as an official foot race in 1987 with five successful US participants. Since 1989, the race starts at Badwater, the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 85 m below sea level and finishes
Gallen, Switzerland, with waiver of the requirement for informed consent given that the study involved the analysis of publicly available data. Badwater The event was established as an official foot race in 1987 with five successful US participants. Since 1989, the race starts at Badwater, the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 85 m below sea level and finishes at the Mt. Whitney Portals at nearly 2,530 m. Badwater covers a total distance of 217 km (135 miles) of highway non- stop across the Death Valley in California, USA. The course includes a total of 3,962 m of cumulative vertical ascent and 1,433 m of cumulative descent. During the race in Death Valley in mid-July, the average daily high temperature reaches 46.9°C, and temperatures over 50°C are common [25]. No aid stations are provided along the Badwater course, so runners rely on their own support crew to pass across the Death Valley. The number of participants is limited to 90 competitors. Spartathlon The Spartathlon starting in 1982 is a nonstop foot race covering a total distance of 246 km (152 miles) from Athens to Sparta in Greece, Europe. Since 1983, the race has been continuously held each September. The course includes elevations which range from sea level to 1,200 m. The cumulative gain of elevations is approximately 1,650 m and the route runs on tarmac road, trail, or mountain footpath. The weather conditions during the race are typically changing between warm temperatures with about 27°C during the day and cold temperatures with about 5°C during the night. Aid stations are placed every 3 to 5 km, providing competitors with water and food. Each of the 75 race control points has its own time limitations and runners arriving later than the official closing time will be eliminated from the race. Nowadays, the number of applicants for the Spartathlon exceeds the limit of 350. da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 Page 2 of 11 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
the official closing time will be eliminated from the race. Nowadays, the number of applicants for the Spartathlon exceeds the limit of 350. da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 Page 2 of 11 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
Data analysis Due to overall low participation and partially missing data in earlier years, only data between 2000 and 2012 were included for data analysis. In order to increase comparability of data, running times were converted to running speed prior to analysis. Converting was done using the equation running speed (km/h) = running dis- tance (km) / running time (h). The changes in the per- formance and in the age of peak performance across years for both men and women were analyzed by examining the running speed and age of the annual top five female and male finishers from 2000 to 2012. The sex difference in performance between women and men was calculated using the equation sex difference (%) = [running speed in women (km/h)−running speed in men (km/h)] / running speed in men (km/h) × 100. Statistical analysis In order to increase the reliability of the data analyses, each set of data was tested for normal distribution and for homogeneity of variances prior to statistical analyses. Normal distribution was tested using a D’Agostino and Pearson omnibus normality test, and homogeneity of variances was tested using a Levene’s test in case of two groups and with a Bartlett’s test in case of more than two groups. To find the significant changes in the devel- opment of a variable across the years, linear regression was used. To find significant differences between two groups, a Student’sttest was used in case of normal dis- tributed data with additional Welch’s correction in case of significantly different variances between the analyzed groups and a Mann–Whitney test was used in case of not normal distributed data. To compare performance of men and women between the two races, a year-by-year analysis was performed using a two-way-analysis of variance with subsequent Bonferronipost hocanalysis. Also the inter- action between the type of competition and time (years) on performance in genders was analyzed using a two-way- ANOVA (competition × time). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 19, IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) and GraphPad Prism (Version 5, GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). Significance was accepted atp<
variance with subsequent Bonferronipost hocanalysis. Also the inter- action between the type of competition and time (years) on performance in genders was analyzed using a two-way- ANOVA (competition × time). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 19, IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) and GraphPad Prism (Version 5, GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). Significance was accepted atp< 0.05 (two-sided forttests). Data in the text are given as mean ± standard deviation or SD. Results Between 2000 and 2012, data were available from 663 men and 183 women finishing Badwater and from 1,157 men and 141 women finishing Spartathlon. Participation trends During the 13-year period, the annual overall percent finishes averaged 79% (ranging from 62% to 93%) for Badwater and 43% (ranging from 39% to 50%) for Spartathlon. Between 2000 and 2012, the number of both female and male finishes increased in both Badwater (Figure 1A) and Spartathlon (Figure 1B). A mean of 51 ± 11 men finished annually in Badwater and 89 ± 23 men in Spartathlon. In women, the mean num- ber of annual finishers was on average 14 ± 5 athletes in Badwater and 11 ± 4 in Spartathlon. There was a signifi- cant increase in female participation in Badwater from 18.4% to 19.1% (maximum of 30.9% in 2011) and in Spartathlon from 11.9% to 12.5% (maximum of 14.5% in 2007). Women accounted on average for 21.5% ± 6.9% in Badwater and 10.8% ± 2.3% in Spartathlon of the overall finishes. Age of finishers in Badwater and Spartathlon In men, the mean age of all finishers was higher in Badwater (46.5 ± 9.3 years) compared to Spartathlon (44.8 ± 8.2 years) (p< 0.01). The mean age of female finishers in both races was similar with 43.0 ± 7.5 years in Badwater and 44.5 ± 7.8 years in Spartathlon (p> 0.05). The age distribution of finishers is presented in Figure 2 for Badwater (Figure 2A) and Spartathlon (Figure 2B). In men, the largest participation was in athletes in the age group of 45 to 49 years in both races. For women, the largest participation was in
43.0 ± 7.5 years in Badwater and 44.5 ± 7.8 years in Spartathlon (p> 0.05). The age distribution of finishers is presented in Figure 2 for Badwater (Figure 2A) and Spartathlon (Figure 2B). In men, the largest participation was in athletes in the age group of 45 to 49 years in both races. For women, the largest participation was in age groups of 40 to 44 and 45 to 49 years in Badwater; while in Spartathlon, the largest participation was in the age group of 50 to 54 years. Master athletes (>40 years of age) represented 76% (642/846) of the total field in Badwater and 71% (899/1,262) in Spartathlon. Over the years, the age of the annual five fastest men decreased in Badwater from 42.4 ± 4.2 years in 2002 to 39.8 ± 5.7 years in 2012 (Figure 3A). For women, the mean age of the annual five fastest finishers remained un- changed at 42.3 ± 3.8 years in Badwater. In Spartathlon (Figure 3B), the age of the annual five fastest finishers was unchanged at 39.7 ± 2.4 years for men and 44.6 ± 3.2 years for women. Running speed of the annual top five finishers Regarding the annual top five finishers, the mean running speed was lower in Badwater compared to Spartathlon (p< 0.001). In Badwater, both women and men became faster over years (Figure 4A). Running speed in men increased from 7.9 ± 0.7 km/h in 2000 to 8.7 ± 0.6 km/h in 2012. In women, running speed in- creased from 5.4 ± 1.1 km/h to 6.6 ± 0.5 km/h. The sex difference in running speed remained stable at 19.8% ± 4.8%. In Spartathlon running speed remained unchanged at 10.8 ± 0.7 km/h for men and 8.7 ± 0.5 km/h for women (Figure 4B). The sex difference in running speed remained unaltered at 19.6% ± 2.5%. The running speed of the annual top five finishers was significantly (p< 0.01) faster in Spartathlon compared to da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 Page 3 of 11 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
0.5 km/h for women (Figure 4B). The sex difference in running speed remained unaltered at 19.6% ± 2.5%. The running speed of the annual top five finishers was significantly (p< 0.01) faster in Spartathlon compared to da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 Page 3 of 11 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
Badwater for women and men, with the exception of 2011 in women (Figure 5A) and 2012 in men (Figure 5B). The analysis of interaction between type of competition and time (years) on running speed showed for women a highly significant (F=4.1;p< 0.01) interaction between type of competition and time accounting for 7.8% of the total variance, whereas the type of competition accounted for 69.2% (F=436;p< 0.01) and time accounted for 6.7% (F=3.5;p< 0.01) of the total variance. In men, the interaction between the type of competition and time accounted for 9.9% of the total variance (F=7.4;p<0.01), whereas type of competition accounted for 71.6% (F= 642.1;p< 0.01) and time accounted for 7.0% (F=5.2; p< 0.01) of the total variance. Discussion This study intended to investigate participation and per- formance trends and to determine the age of peak 2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 Badwater W omen r 2 = 0.39; P = 0.02 Badwater Men r 2 = 0.45; P = 0.01 Badwater Total r 2 = 0.64; P < 0.01 A Year Number of Athletes 2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 Spartathlon Women r 2 = 0.40; P = 0.02 Spartathlon Men r 2 = 0.40; P = 0.02 Spartathlon Total r 2 = 0.42; P = 0.02 B Year Number of Athletes Figure 1Annual number of female, male and overall finishes in Badwater (A) and Spartathlon (B). da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 Page 4 of 11 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
running speed in ultramarathons of more than 200-km race distance. Based upon existing literature, an increase in participation, an improvement in performance, and an age of peak ultramarathon performance between 30 and 40 years were hypothesized. The main findings for both races were that (1) the female participation increased over time, (2) the fastest finishers were approximately 40 to 45 years of age, and (3) the sex difference was at approximately 20% unchanged over years. Participation trends Concerning the total numbers of finishes over the history, it appears reasonable that in Badwater considerably fewer athletes competed since the qualifying standards were Badwater 18-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-6465-6970-7475-79 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 Women Men A Age Groups (Years) Number of Athletes Spartathlon 18-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-6465-6970-7475-79 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 B Age Groups (Years) Number of Athletes Figure 2Male and female finishes in Badwater (A) and Spartathlon (B) per age group. da Fonseca-Engelhardtet al. Extreme Physiology & Medicine2013,2:15 Page 5 of 11 http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/15
Description
This research analyzes trends in participation and performance in extreme ultramarathons.