European athletes dominate performances in Double Iron ultra‐triathlons – A retrospective data analysis from 1985 to 2010

Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Knechtle, Beat; Knechtle, Patrizia; Lepers, Romuald; Rosemann, Thomas; Onywera, Vincent

doi:10.1080/17461391.2011.641033

Cited by 26 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…[3] Ultra-triathlons, consisting of distances greater than Ironman distance include double Ironman triathlons (7.6km swim, 360km cycle and 84 km run) and decaIronman triathlon (38km swim, 1800km cycle and 420 km run) also appeared during the 1980"s with the first double Ironman triathlon held in 1985 in Huntsville (USA). [4,5,6,7] More recently, in addition to conventional road based triathlon, off-road triathlon combining swimming, mountain biking and trail running has also established itself in the field of endurance sports, and has grown very rapidly in popularity. [8,9] Triathlon performance has been studied from numerous perspectives by a number of research groups over approximately the same period that the sport has grown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

2013

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The influences of sex and age upon endurance performance have previously been documented for both running and swimming. A number of recent studies have investigated how sex and age influence triathlon performance, a sport that combines three disciplines (swimming, cycling and running), with competitions commonly lasting between two (Short distance : 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) and eight hours (Ironman distance: 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42 km run) for elite triathletes. Age and sex influences upon performance have also been investigated for ultra-triathlons with distances corresponding to several Ironman distances and lasting several days, and for off-road triathlons combining swimming, mountain biking and trail running. Triathlon represents an intriguing alternative model for analyzing the effects of age and sex upon endurance and ultra-endurance (> 6 hours) performance because sex differences and age-related declines in performance can be analyzed in the same persons across the three separate disciplines. The relative participation of both females and masters athletes (age > 40 years old) in triathlon has increased consistently over the past 25 years. Sex differences in triathlon performance are also known to differ between the modes of locomotion adopted (swimming, cycling or running) for both elite and non-elite triathletes.Generally, time differences between sexes in swimming have been shown to be smaller on average than during cycling and running. Both physiological and morphological factors contribute to explaining these findings. Performance density (i.e. the time difference between the winner and 10 th placed competitor) has progressively improved (time differences have decreased) for international races over the past two decades for both males and females, with performance density now very similar for both sexes. For age-group triathletes, sex differences in total triathlon performance time increases with age. The possible difference in age-related changes in the physiological determinants of endurance and ultra-endurance performances between males and females needs further investigation however. Non-

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

2013

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“…Athletes require special characteristics in anthropometry (Hoffman, 2008 Besides the aspects of training and race preparation, characteristics of both anthropometry and physiology as well as the nationality of an athlete could also have an influence on the outcome of the performance in an endurance race (Larsen, 2003;Lepers et al, 2011;Rüst et al, 2012b). Regarding the origin of runners, Larsen (2003) reported that in the last two decades a change in the dominance of middle and long-distance running events occurred.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The aspect of nationality and performance in a mountain ultra-marathon - the ‘Swiss Alpine Marathon’

Eichenberger

Knechtle

Rüst

et al. 2012

JHSE

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Eichenberger E, Knechtle B, Rüst CA, Lepers R, Rosemann T, Onywera VO. The aspect of nationality and performance in a mountain ultra-marathon -the 'Swiss Alpine Marathon' J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 748-762, 2012. Runners from East Africa and especially from Kenya dominate middle-and longdistance running races worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the participation and performance trends regarding the nationality of runners in a mountain ultra-marathon held in partially high alpine terrain. We hypothesized that Kenyan runners, living and training in the Great Rift Valley, a predominantly hilly, mountainous and altitudinous region like the Alps, would dominate also a mountain ultra-marathon because they are accustomed to high altitudes and mountainous terrains. We examined the participation and performance trends of ultra-marathoners regarding their nationalities in the 78-km 'Swiss Alpine Marathon' including 21 km in high alpine terrain where 12,194 men and 1,781 women finished between 1998 and 2011. A total of 1,682 women and 11,580 men, corresponding to 94.9 % of all finishers, originated from Switzerland,

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“…The Double Iron ultra-triathlon covers 7.6km swimming, 360km cycling, and 84.4km running. This first ultra-triathlon was held in the United States with 23 athletes (Rüst, Knechtle, Knechtle, Lepers, & Rosemann 2012). Then, in 1988, the first Triple Iron ultra-triathlon covering 11.6km swimming, 540km cycling, and 126.6km running was organized in Le Fontanil, France, with 11 starters.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…investigated in a very recent study where Rüst, Knechtle, Knechtle, Lepers, and Rosemann (2012) reported European dominance in Double Iron ultra-triathlons worldwide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Double Iron to Double Deca Iron Ultra-Triathlon - A Retrospective Data Analysis from 1985 to 2011

Lenherr

Knechtle²,

Rüst

et al. 2012

Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research

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From Double Iron to Double Deca Iron Ultra-Triathlon - A Retrospective Data Analysis from 1985 to 2011Participation in ultra-endurance performance is of increasing popularity. We analyzed the historic development of the ultra-triathlon scene from 1985 to 2011 focusing on a) worldwide distribution of competition, b) participation, c) gender, and d) athlete nationality. We examined the participation trends of 3,579 athletes, involving 3,297 men (92.1%) and 300 women (7.9%), using linear regression analyses. Between 1985 and 2011, a total of 96 Double Iron ultra-triathlons (7.6km swimming, 360km cycling, and 84.4km running), 51 Triple Iron ultra-triathlons (11.6km swimming, 540km cycling, and 126.6km running), five Quadruple Iron ultra-triathlons (15.2km swimming, 720km cycling, and 168.8km running), five Quintuple Iron ultra-triathlons (19km swimming, 900km cycling, and 211km running), 11 Deca Iron ultra-triathlons (38km swimming, 1,800km cycling, and 422km running), and two Double Deca Iron ultra-triathlons (76km swimming, 3,600km cycling, and 844km running) were held. In total, 56.7% of the races were in Europe, 37.4% in North America, 5.3% in South America, and less than 1% in Asia. Europeans comprised 80% of the athletes. The number of male participants in Double (r2 = .56; P < .001) and Triple Iron ultra-triathlon (r2 = .47; P < .001) and the number of female participants in Double Iron ultra-triathlon (r2 = .66; P < .001) increased significantly. Less than 8% of the athletes total participated in an ultra-triathlon longer than a Triple Iron ultra-triathlon. Europeans won by far the most competitions in every distance. In conclusion, ultra-triathlon popularity is mainly limited to a) European and North American men and b) Double and Triple Iron ultra-triathlons. Future studies need to investigate the motivation of these ultra-endurance athletes to compete in these extreme races.

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European athletes dominate performances in Double Iron ultra‐triathlons – A retrospective data analysis from 1985 to 2010

Cited by 26 publications

References 43 publications

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

The aspect of nationality and performance in a mountain ultra-marathon - the ‘Swiss Alpine Marathon’

From Double Iron to Double Deca Iron Ultra-Triathlon - A Retrospective Data Analysis from 1985 to 2011

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