Demographic Characteristics of Elite Ethiopian Endurance Runners

Scott, Robert A.; Georgiades, Evelina; Wilson, Richard H.; Goodwin, William; Wolde, Bezabhe; Pitsiladis, Yannis

doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000089335.85254.89

Cited by 90 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…More of male athletes were between ages 25 -30 years while for the females most of them were between ages 18 -24 years. This was similar to a recent study of the Ethiopian elite runners who were found to have majority between ages of 24-32 years Scott, (2008) [8] . This is probably because after 30 years of age most female retire from sports and settle to other responsibilities including motherhood which reduce their time for active practice.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Association between Performance and Injury with Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status among Athletes: Case of Iten Training Camp in the Rift Valley of Kenya

Tanui¹,

Imungi²

2017

IOSR JSPE

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Association between Performance and Injury with Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status among Athletes: Case of Iten Training Camp in the Rift Valley of Kenya

Tanui¹,

Imungi²

2017

IOSR JSPE

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“…Alternately, it is possible that the effect of ACTN3 genotype on muscle performance is dependent on other genetic influences, or on environmental variables, that differ between African and non-African populations. For example, many East Africans are subject to environmental influences, such as living and training at altitude and high levels of incidental running during childhood, which play major roles in shaping athletes from this region (12,15) and differ substantially from the childhood experiences of most potential non-African athletes. Such factors may reduce the impact of >-actinin-3 deficiency on the muscle performance of African individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The East African cohort consisted of 198 Ethiopian controls and 76 elite Ethiopian endurance athletes, all members of the Ethiopian junior or senior athletics squad (15). Among the controls, 105 samples were collected from the general Ethiopian population (15), and another 93 samples were collected from the Arsi province, a region known to be the origin of many elite endurance athletes (15). In addition, 158 Kenyan controls and 284 elite endurance runners were included, 67 of whom had represented Kenya in major international distance running competition, and the remainder of whom were competitive in distance running competition at national level within Kenya.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ACTN3 R577X Polymorphism in East and West African Athletes

Yang

MacArthur

Wolde

et al. 2007

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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110

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. Purpose: To determine the frequency of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism (functional R allele and nonfunctional X allele) in a variety of African populations and to examine its influence on the success of elite East African endurance runners and West African sprinters. Methods: The R577X polymorphism was genotyped in 198 Ethiopian controls and 76 elite Ethiopian endurance athletes, 158 Kenyan controls and 284 elite Kenyan endurance runners, and 60 Nigerian controls and 62 elite Nigerian power athletes. Statistical analyses were performed by exact tests of population differentiation, using Arlequin, version 3. Analyses were carried out using 1 Â 10 6 Markov chain steps, and 1 Â 10 5 dememorization steps. Results: The frequency of the X allele was extremely low among Kenyans and Nigerians (È1% homozygosity) and higher in Ethiopians (È11% homozygosity). The low baseline frequencies of the three populations tested mean that any associations with sprint performance would likely be obscured. In Ethiopians, where baseline levels of 577XX were about 11%, there was no increased frequency in the endurance athletes. Conclusion: Our data suggest that >-actinin-3 deficiency is not a major influence on performance in African athletes. Key Words: GENETICS, ACTININ-3, AFRICA, RUNNERS, ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE T he actin-binding protein >-actinin-3, encoded by the ACTN3 gene, is a highly conserved component of the contractile machinery in fast skeletal muscle fibers in mammals (7). Homozygosity for a common nonsense polymorphism, R577X, results in complete deficiency of >-actinin-3 in about 16% of the global human population (11). We have previously demonstrated a strong association between the R577X polymorphism and elite athlete status in Australian Caucasian populations, with the >-actinin-3-deficient XX genotype being present at a lower frequency in sprint/power athletes, and at slightly higher frequency in elite female endurance athletes, relative to controls (18). The negative association of the XX genotype with sprint performance was subsequently replicated in a cohort of Finnish elite track and field athletes (10). The possible positive association of XX with endurance performance remains intriguing but uncertain, with two recent smaller studies comparing R577X genotype frequencies between 50 elite endurance cyclists, 52 elite endurance runners, and 123 controls from Spain (6), and 42 male rowers and 102 male controls from Italy (13), finding no significant differences in R577X genotype frequencies between control and athlete groups. R577X genotype has also been associated with muscle function parameters in several large nonathlete cohorts. An analysis of 355 females demonstrated an association between the XX genotype and lower baseline muscle strength (1), whereas a study of older individuals found that R577X genotype influences the response of the quadriceps muscle to strength training (2). In a large cohort of Greek adolescents, the XX genotype was associated with significantly slower performance in a 40-m sprint (9). These ...

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“…East African runners, in particular Kenyan (Baker & Horton, 2003, Larsen, 2003, Onywera et al, 2006, Ethiopian (Scott et al, 2003) and Eritrean (Lucia et al, 2006) runners have been dominating long-distance running events, especially marathon races, for several years. These findings underline the importance of good knowledge on basic demographic information of runners in analysing their running performances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation and performance trends in 6-hour ultra-marathoners – a retrospective data analysis of worldwide participation from 1991-2010

Ehrensperger¹,

Knechtle²,

Rüst³

et al. 2013

JHSE

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Ehrensperger, L., Knechtle, B., . Participation and performance trends in 6-hour ultra-marathoners -a retrospective data analysis of worldwide participation from 1991. Participation trends in 6-hour ultra-marathons held word-wide were investigated to gain basic demographic data on 6-hour ultra-marathoners and where these races took place. Participation trends and the association between nationality and race performance were investigated in all 6-hour races held worldwide between 1991 and 2010. Participation increased linearly in both women and men across years. The annual number of finishes was significantly higher in men than in women (P=0.013). The male-to-female ratio remained stable at ~4 since 1991. Runners in age group 45-49 years showed the largest increase in participation for both men (800 participants in 18 years) and women (208 participants in 16 years). Europe attracted most of the runners from other continents (166 runners), more than all other continents combined (55 runners). European runners also showed the best top ten performances (73±3 km for women and 77±11 km for men), while African (with 65±9 km for men) and South American (54±4 km for women and 65±2 km for men) runners showed the weakest. To summarize, participation in 6-hour ultra-marathons increased across years. Most of the development took place in Europe and in athletes in the age group 45-49 years. Europe also attracted the most diverse field of athletes with runners from all other continents. European runners accounted for the most runners and achieved the best top ten performances.

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Demographic Characteristics of Elite Ethiopian Endurance Runners

Cited by 90 publications

References 16 publications

Association between Performance and Injury with Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status among Athletes: Case of Iten Training Camp in the Rift Valley of Kenya

Association between Performance and Injury with Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status among Athletes: Case of Iten Training Camp in the Rift Valley of Kenya

The ACTN3 R577X Polymorphism in East and West African Athletes

Participation and performance trends in 6-hour ultra-marathoners – a retrospective data analysis of worldwide participation from 1991-2010

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