An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide

Stöhr, Angelika; Nikolaidis, Pantelis Theodoros; Villiger, Elias; Sousa, Caio Victor; Scheer, Volker; Hill, Lee; Knechtle, Beat

doi:10.3390/ijerph18020362

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Participation has been increasing since 2010, with a decrease in 2020 due to the pandemic situation caused by SARS-CoV-2 [21]. Similar results were previously shown [5,13]. Increases in ultra-mara-…”

Section: More Athletes But Slowersupporting

confidence: 78%

Trends in Participation, Sex Differences and Age of Peak Performance in Time-Limited Ultramarathon Events: A Secular Analysis

et al. 2022

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Background and Objectives: Increases in the number of participants in time-limited ultra-marathons have been reported. However, no information is available regarding the trends in participation, performance and age in 12 h and 24 h time-limited events. The aim of the study was to describe the trends in runners’ participation, performance and age in 12 h and 24 h ultra-marathons for both sexes and to identify the age of peak performance, taking into account the ranking position and age categories. Materials and Methods: The sample comprised 210,455 runners in time-limited ultra-marathons (female 12 h = 23,706; female 24 h = 28,585; male 12 h = 61,594; male 24 h = 96,570) competing between 1876 and 2020 and aged 18 to 86 years. The age of peak performance was tested according to their ranking position (first–third; fourth–tenth and >tenth position) and taking into account their running speed in different age categories (<30 years; 31–40 years; 41–50 years; 51–60 years; >60 years), using the Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by the Bonferroni adjustment. Results: An increase in the number of participants and a decrease in running speed were observed across the years. For both events, the sex differences in performance decreased over time. The sex differences showed that male runners performed better than female runners, but the lowest differences in recent years were observed in the 24 h ultra-marathons. A positive trend in age across the years was found with an increase in mean age (“before 1989” = 40.33 ± 10.07 years; “1990–1999” = 44.16 ± 10.37 years; “2000–2009” = 45.99 ± 10.33 years; “2010–2020” = 45.62 ± 10.80 years). Male runners in 24 h races were the oldest (46.13 ± 10.83 years), while female runners in 12 h races were the youngest (43.46 ± 10.16 years). Athletes ranked first–third position were the youngest (female 12 h = 41.19 ± 8.87 years; female 24 h = 42.19 ± 8.50 years; male 12 h = 42.03 ± 9.40 years; male 24 h = 43.55 ± 9.03 years). When age categories were considered, the best performance was found for athletes aged between 41 and 50 years (female 12 h 6.48 ± 1.74 km/h; female 24 h 5.64 ± 1.68 km/h; male 12 h 7.19 ± 1.90 km/h; male 24 h 6.03 ± 1.78 km/h). Conclusion: A positive trend in participation in 12 h and 24 h ultra-marathons was shown across the years; however, athletes were becoming slower and older. The fastest athletes were the youngest ones, but when age intervals were considered, the age of peak performance was between 41 and 50 years.

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Section: More Athletes But Slowersupporting

confidence: 78%

Trends in Participation, Sex Differences and Age of Peak Performance in Time-Limited Ultramarathon Events: A Secular Analysis

et al. 2022

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“…An increase in participation will not necessarily lead to an improvement in performance. This has also been shown when all 100-km ultra-marathons held since 1960 were analyzed [ 28 ]. There was a substantial increase in both the number of running events and in the number of participants, where performance started to decline after the year 2000 for runners younger than 70 years, with an improvement only in runners older than 70 years [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…This has also been shown when all 100-km ultra-marathons held since 1960 were analyzed [ 28 ]. There was a substantial increase in both the number of running events and in the number of participants, where performance started to decline after the year 2000 for runners younger than 70 years, with an improvement only in runners older than 70 years [ 28 ]. Therefore, future improvement in the elite ultra-marathoners’ performance can be expected only in races with strict criteria for selection and strict cut-off times during the race.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

From Athens to Sparta—37 Years of Spartathlon

Knechtle

Gomes

Scheer³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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(1) Background: Recent studies analyzed the participation and performance trends of historic races such as the oldest ultra-marathon (Comrades) or the oldest 100-km ultra-marathon (Biel). One of the toughest and historic ultra-marathons in the world is the ‘Spartathlon’ (246-km ultra-marathon from Athens to Sparta). The present study aimed to analyze the trends in participation and performance of this race. (2) Methods: Different general linear models were applied as follows: the first model was a two-way ANOVA (Decade × Sex), with separate models for all participants and for only the top five finishers in each race; the second model was a two-way ANOVA (Age Group × Sex); the third model was a two-way ANOVA (Nationality × Sex). (3) Results: Between 1982 and 2019, 3504 ultra-marathoners (3097 men and 407 women) officially finished the Spartathlon at least once. Athletes from Japan were the majority with 737 participants, followed by far by runners from Germany (n = 393), Greece (n = 326), and France (n = 274). The nations with the highest numbers of athletes amongst the top five performers were Japan (n = 71), followed by Germany (n = 59), and Great Britain (n = 31). Runners from the USA were the fastest in men, and runners from Great Britain were the fastest in women. Female and male runners improved performance across the decades. The annual five fastest women and men improved their performance over time. Runners achieved their best performance earlier in life (20–29 and 30–39 years) than female runners (30–39 and 40–49 years). Runners in age group 30–39 years were the fastest for all nationalities, except for Greece. (4) Conclusions: Successful finishers in the Spartathlon improved performance in the last four decades and male runners achieved their best performance ~10 years earlier in life than female runners.

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“…In some instances, male master marathoners older than 90 years can complete a 6-h-run or even a 12-h-run . Recently, it has been reported that master runners older than 80or 90 years finished a 100-km ultra-marathon (Stohr et al, 2021).…”

Section: Editorial On the Research Topicmentioning

confidence: 99%