Physiological and training correlates of marathon running performance

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:c Physiological and Training Correlates of
'- Marathon Running Performance
CARL FOSTER, JACK T. DANIELS and RICHARD A. YARBROUGH
Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712
ABSTRACT: Phys.iological and Training Correlates determinants or marathon running performance
of Marathon Running Performance. C. Foster, J. T. using a longitudinal approach.
Daniels and R. A. Yarbrough. Aust. J. Sports
Medicine 9 (58-61) 1977. Methods
The importance of submaximal and maximal .Twe~ty-three experienced marathon runners
oxygen uptake during treadmill running and of provided Inform~d.consent and .served at subjects.
variations in the volume of training to marathon .some characteristiCS of the subjects are r?resented
performance was evaluated in 23 experienced In T~ble 1. Although so~e of the subjects had
~arathon runners. The correlation between relatively low values for VO 2 max and compara-
VO 2 max and the best performance by each indi- tively slow performances, they were regarded as
vidual (r =-0.86) was significant and of similar se~i~us competitors on. the basis of thei~ regu.lar
magnitude to that reported previously for groups training, f~equen.t racing and goal orientation
of well-trained middle and long distance runners. tow.ard their ru!lnlng perforr!:'ance. Oxyg.en upt~ke
Although of importance in some individual cases, during subm.axlmal ':lnd maxlm~l.treadmlll running
there was no net relationship between the sub- was determined usl.ng a .modlfled Douglas bag
maximal aerobic demands and performance. procedure (7). Expired air was analysed for a
Marathon performance was significantly related to and CO content using the Haldane techniqU;
the volume of training done during the two 2 '
months preceeding competition. It was concluded gas volumes were determined in a balanced
that performance differences between individuals spirometer. During the submaximal run, the speed
are primarily dependent upon differences in VO of th~ trea~mill was adjl!sted to 230 m/min during
2 the first minute of running. Oxygen uptake was
max and that variations in training can explain determined after six minutes of running and was
much of the performance variation within the accepted as a steady state value. The maximal
same individual. treadmill run was begun at a speed calculated to
require about 75~1o of VO max. After two min- . '
The marathon (42km) is an event that taxes . 2,. "
the capabilities of the greatest runners, yet pro- utes ~he eleva:lon of t~e treadm~11 w':ls I.ncreased
vides a rewarding challenge for even the most by 2 Yo per minute un:11 the subject In.dlcated he
untalented individual. The physiological character- could no longer c.ontln~e. Exp!red air w~s ~ol-
istics of elite marathon runners are well doc- lected from the third minute. until the termination
umented. These athletes are characterized by of the test. The greatest VO observed during
great aerobic power (2,4,6), running economy . 2 .
(4, 6), a preponderance of slow twitch muscle the test was accepted as VO 2 max for the subject.
fibres (6) and great oxidative enzyme activity in
the skeletal muscles (6). Recent studies (5, 6, 19) Marathon performances on courses of known
have shown that many of these characteristics accuracy were recorded during a two year period.
are related to middle and long distance running Twelve subjects, who ran more than one marathon
throughout the continuum of performance ability. during the period. were able to provide relatively
Marathon runners are also well known for the detailed records of their training. These records
large volume of training done in preparation for were evaluated in terms of average weekly training
their races. Questionnaire data (13, 22) have volume during the two months preceeding each
demonstrated a significant relationship between race. Statistical comparisons were made between
training volume and marathon performance. the two best performances by each of these sub-
jects during the experimental period.
Almost all of the prior data concerning mara-
thon perfo!mance have, however" been bas~d .o!l Results and Discussion
cross-sectional samples. Accordingly, the slgnlfl- .
cance ?f the .observ~~ relationships between The best marathon performance by each
~e~aboIIC function, training and performance are .subject during the experimental period was highly
?Ifflcu!t t<:> evaluate. The purp~se of the present related to VO max for that subject (Figure 1).
Investigation was to -re-examine some of the 2
58 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE !~
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Table 1. Characteristics of the Subjects ..#~~
. - - - .-;:;~~~
Age Height Weight % Fat VO 2 max Best Perform~~ ~~i
-1 ~-#
(years) (cm) (kg) (ml/kg x min) (minutes)
,. . . -
Mean 35.0 177.2 68.3 8.5 61.9 184.6 :...~
S.D. 9.1 8.0 9.3 1.4 5.6 23.0
Range 19-51 152-191 40.5-84.1 6.6-12.9 49-73 143.3-248.4
. remarkable performances. Comparable individual
2<1) - x COSTILL 1970 results were evident in the present data. On the
U) " . : ~~6~LL ~~~~ average, h?wever, ~ifferences in running economy
~ " were relatively unimportant as determinants of
;: "" marathon running performance~~
210 - . "" .
~ """ Table 2. Comparison of Best and Se~nd Best
~ '.,' Marathon Performances during the Experimental
~ lro. . "~, Period (N = 12).
. '
"0 " . Best Second Best I
~ . '~ Performance Performance t p
I l.:i) . ';'". TIm~ 150.8 200.7 3.91 .01
I- . ", (minutes)
V> ',0
~ ", Tra1ning Vo!um3 91.1 76.3 3.64 .05
" (km/week)
120 ",
Marathon performance improved markedly
!:X) ro 70 ro with increases in the volume of training. There
. -1 was a significant difference in training volume
't~ MAX VVKG X MIN ) prior to the best and second best performances
Figure 1. The relationship between VO max and the for the 12 subjects running more than on marathon
.subje~t's .best marathon performance durin~ the period of during the experimental period. J:a~le 2). qn
Investigation. Mean values for groups of elite and national the average a 15.6 km/week (20 10) Increase In
caliber marathon runners are included for reference. training volume was associated with a 9.9 min
(5%) improvement in performance. The present
The magnitude of the correlat. n b t va res.ul.ts indicate a much stronger link be~ween
10 e ween 2 training and performance than reported previously
max and performance (r = -0.86) is comparable (13, 22). These prior results were obtained from
to that previously reported for middle and long cross-sectional material and were presumably
distance runners (5, 19). These results demon- confounded by the tendency for more successful
strate the great importance of va max to per- runners to do more training. This trend is evident
2 in the present data (Figure 2). Increases in ,..,
formance during prolonged exercise. Since the
magnitude of the response of va max to training
2
(11) is small compared to the range of values .
observed within the population (20), the impor- ' tance of "natural selection" as a determinant of 240
competitive success becomes apparent. ~
R~nning economy, as evidenced by the steady i:: \~"'~
state va at 230 m/min, did not appear to be '--' ~
2 210
highly related to marathon performanc~ (r = 0.36). ~
Integration of running economy and va max as ~~::~~~:
2 ~
the percent of va 2 max required to run at 230 ~ 19)
m/min did not y~eld a higher correlation with ~
performance than VO max alone. Costill (3) has ~ %~
noted that individual2differences in running econ- ~ 150
omy may determine competitive- success between I
individuals well matched for V02 max. Costill .' I , , I I I I I I I 1.- I
(6) and Daniels (9) have noted that superior run- 50 100 150 I
. ning economy may allow individuals with compara- TRAlr~ING VOLll'£ (tfJ'VIo,f:EK)
tlvely low values for va max to produce Figure 2. The r~lationship between pre-race training and
- 2 performance for twelve subjects.
NOV./DEC. 1977. - 59
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~~ ~, .tr~ining volum~ were associated with improved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
\ performances In both slow and fast runners,
)~Ithough the inc~eased training appeared to be This research was supported in part by a grant
~omewhat more Important to the slower runners. from the Graduate School of the University of
Texas at Austin.
The dependence of performance upon the
volume of training was not an unexpected finding. REFERENCES
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60 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
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18. Maron, M. B., S. M. Horvath, J. E. Wilkerson 21. Sjodin, B., A. Thorstensen, K. Frith and .': ~
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~
NEWS the sale of alcohol is banned and pubs in the
district close down for fear of trouble.
VIOLENCE A CURSE OF FOOTBALL At grounds where alcohol is on sal.e conditions
. are so crowded as to turn normal drinkers away.
By Lawrie Kavanagh, who recently visited Mosco\v, I saw Arsenal
P la y West Ham recently at Arsenal's
England and Europe. .
home ground a short tube ride from central
Football and sporting crowd behaviour has London. The main public bars there were merely
undergone a world wide change in recent years, counters serving onto the major thoroughfares
but Australia still appears to be the lucky country of the main grandstand. Drinking conditions on
where reasonable behaviour is concerned. a normal day were outrageous.
The odd fight in the Outer appears harmless I have been a constant critic of Lang Park
by world standards and the can throwing incidents, drinking facilities but I started to re-think the
although appalling to the average sports goer, situation after seeing the drinking facilities in
is only a drop in the ocean compared to the England and Europe. Lang Park is way ahead,
violence in English soccer alone, and getting better all the time.
Crowd violence in sport stems from many Italian soccer crowds are among some of the
sources and usually varies from country to country, biggest in Europe and they have their associated
according to political and socia! pressures. violence, but for a different reason to the English.
In England, for instance, most violence is blamed Again according to the local experts, alcohol is
on groups between the age of 12 and 16 years not the major cause of violence at Italian soccer
. . . . kids from lower income homes who find it matches. It is, according to the expert I spoke to,
hard to get jobs and generally feel rejected. a release of political pressure Italians build up
This group is blamed for the incredible violence during the week.
before, during and after soccer matches through- "Many people are worried about the political
out England violence that has become accepted future of Italy," one Italian official told me. "There
as the form' for modern soccer matches, is so much uncertainty about which way Italy is
There seems little sporting officials or the police going politically that people really build up
can do to stop this violence outside the grounds, pressure during the week and look for some re-
Inside they can evict unruly spectators. lease at the weekend. "Soccer gives that release
But outside its hard to control thousands of at the weekend. Italians can get out and let off
youngsters who surge like an angry dragon steam at the football, and naturally there is some
through the streets destroying anything in sight violence." Italian soccer matches draw 50,000
if the whim takes them. and 60,000 fans, so authorities have some trouble
One of England's most famous clubs, Man- controlling them.
chester United, also has one of the most in In Russia soccer is one of the major sports
famous group of fans. When Manchester United and crowds of up to 100,000 for club matches
plays an away game, thousands of these fans are not uncommon. In crowds like that there is
travel by rail to the away-from-home venue, troop- bound to be some violence, but football authorities
ing from the railway station to the ground on foot, believe they have found the answer, a total ban of
destroying property and tars as they go. vodka sales at football matches. This is very
It has become so common place today that restrictive because vodka is the lifeblood of the
when teams with supporters like ~Aanchester Russian drinker. He drinks it at all meals except
United are playing away from home, shop keepers, breakfast. But if he drinks too much" vodka, .a
publicans and private homeowners on streets Russian is likely to become firy. So vodka IS
leading from the station to the ground, board up banned at Russian football matches. R~ssian
their shops, pubs and houses and get OIJt of football followers, however, are not left without
town for the day. No one lea'ies his car on a a drink while they \vatch their favourite sport.
street anywhere near a ground depending on the One Russian sports official told me. "There is
result, depending on the mood of the fans after plenty of good Russian beer on sale at .football
a match, a train can be almost wrecked by home but it is not the same as vodka A Russian can
going spectators disappointed with their team's drink beer all day and not get drunk. They are
effort. big beer drinkers. But too much vodka and there
According to the _experts alcohol plays only a can be trouble. Since vodka was banned at
small part in these incidents. At some grounds soccei matches we don't have a lot of trouble."
NOV./DEC. 1977 'c;I,;, I'tf'-!c)i..,;'f ::" 61
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