Heart of the World’s Top Ultramarathon Runner—Not Necessarily Much Different from Normal

Gajda, Robert; Klisiewicz, Anna; Matsibora, Vadym; Piotrowska-Kownacka, Dorota; Biernacka, Katarzyna

doi:10.3390/diagnostics10020073

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…OHRMs, provided that its indications are reliable, are preferred. Wearing a chest strap is troublesome for athletes for numerous reasons, ranging from battery depletion artifacts, interference in the transmission between the strap and the receiver, to the most important for ultramarathon runners: chafing of the skin during long hours of running by a moving strap [ 14 , 15 ]. It is also common to simply forget to put it on during training, which significantly changes the subsequent evaluation of training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study group included 76 long-distance runners (50 males, 26 females), 14 cyclists (11 males, 3 females), and 10 triathletes (9 males, 1 female). Most of the athletes were under long-term observation—for up to 10 years—and had participated in previous studies related to the use of HRMs, including their usefulness in the assessment of arrhythmias or exercise intensity [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The same surveys were conducted amongst 10 coaches aged 26–60 years (47.0 ± 7.5 years), and 10 doctors (33–60 years, 52.0 ± 7.0 years) who were training and examining endurance sportsmen on a daily basis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is Continuous ECG Recording on Heart Rate Monitors the Most Expected Function by Endurance Athletes, Coaches, and Doctors?

Gajda¹

2020

Diagnostics

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Heart rate monitors (HRMs) are important for measuring heart rate, which can be used as a training parameter for healthy athletes. They indicate stress-related heart rhythm disturbances—recognized as an unexpected increase in heart rate (HR)—which can be life-threatening. Most HRMs confuse arrhythmias with artifacts. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings from sport HRMs for endurance athletes, coaches, and physicians, compared with other basic and hypothetical functions. We conducted three surveys among endurance athletes (76 runners, 14 cyclists, and 10 triathletes), 10 coaches, and 10 sports doctors to obtain information on how important ECG recordings are and what HRM functions should be improved to meet their expectations in the future. The respondents were asked questions regarding use and hypothetical functions, as well as their preference for HRM type (optical/strap). Athletes reported distance, pace, instant HR, and oxygen threshold as being the four most important functions. ECG recording ranked eighth and ninth for momentary and continuous recording, respectively. Coaches placed more importance on ECG recording. Doctors ranked ECG recording the highest. All participants preferred optical HRMs to strap HRMs. Research on the improvement and implementation of HRM functions showed slightly different preferences for athletes compared with coaches and doctors. In cases where arrhythmia was suspected, the value of the HRM’s ability to record ECGs during training by athletes and coaches increased. For doctors, this is the most desirable feature in any situation. Considering the expectations of all groups, continuous ECG recording during training will significantly improve the safety of athletes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Continuous ECG Recording on Heart Rate Monitors the Most Expected Function by Endurance Athletes, Coaches, and Doctors?

Gajda¹

2020

Diagnostics

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“…Follow-up examination after three years is a distant examination. An explanation is the fact that the planned extensive initial and control tests of the athlete had a cardiological profile [ 22 ]. Orthopedic complaints reported at the finish line by the examined athlete and other participants became the reason for performing the knee examination and subsequent interviews.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Right Knee—The Weakest Point of the Best Ultramarathon Runners of the World? A Case Study

Gajda¹,

Walasek

Jarmuszewski³

2020

IJERPH

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The impact of ultramarathons (UM) on the organs, especially in professional athletes, is poorly understood. We tested a 36-year-old UM male runner before and after winning a 24-h marathon. The primary goal of the study was cardiovascular assessment. The athlete experienced right knee pain for the first time after 12 h of running (approximately 130 km), which intensified, affecting his performance. The competitors ran on a 1984 m rectangle-loop (950 × 42 m) in an atypical clockwise fashion. The winner completed 516 rectangular corners. Right knee Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) one day after the run showed general overload in addition to degenerative as well as specific features associated with “turning to the right”. Re-examination after three years revealed none of these findings. Different kinds of overloading of the right lower limb, including right knee pain, were indicated in 6 of 10 competitors from the top 20, including a woman who set the world record. The affected competitors suggested as cause for discomfort the shape of the loop and running direction. They believed that changing the direction of the run during the competition and an athletics stadium loop shape on a 2000–2500 m length is better for 24-h UM runners. In the absence of technical alternatives, the “necessary evil” is a counterclockwise run (also Association of Athletics Federations IAAF recommendation). Results suggest that a one-way, clockwise, 24-h UM run had an adverse effect on the athlete’s right knee, as a result of unsymmetrical load. Organizers of 24-h UM runs should consider the shape of the competition loop and apply the principle of uniform load on the musculoskeletal system (alternate directions run). In case of technical impossibility, it would be better to run counterclockwise, which is more common, preferred by runners, and recommended by the IAAF.

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“…In our previous papers, we analyzed several factors related to physiological and biochemical adaptation to extreme endurance exercise in order to demonstrate that organism of elite, endurance-trained athletes is able to adapt to strenuous long-lasting run (marathon, UM, triathlon) or swimming [ 15 , 16 ]. In some of our previous publications, we used the unique occasion to analyze various aspects of adaptation to 24-h UM in an elite runner, a previous winner of several prestigious international UM during the National Championship in 24-h run [ 17 , 18 ]. The aim of the present study was to analyze several key factors responsible for champion achievements in a 24-h UM race in the same very successful athlete.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To Be a Champion of the 24-h Ultramarathon Race. If Not the Heart ... Mosaic Theory?

Gajda¹,

Samełko

Czuba

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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This comprehensive case analysis aimed to identify the features enabling a runner to achieve championship in 24-h ultramarathon (UM) races. A 36-year-old, multiple medalist of the World Championships in 24-h running, was assessed before, one and 10 days after a 24-h run. Results of his extensive laboratory and cardiological diagnostics with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and a one-time cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were analyzed. After 12 h of running (approximately 130 km), the athlete experienced an increasing pain in the right knee. His baseline clinical data were within the normal range. High physical efficiency in CPET (VO2max 63 mL/kg/min) was similar to the average achieved by other ultramarathoners who had significantly worse results. Thus, we also performed genetic tests and assessed his psychological profile, body composition, and markers of physical and mental stress (serotonin, cortisol, epinephrine, prolactin, testosterone, and luteinizing hormone). The athlete had a mtDNA haplogroup H (HV0a1 subgroup, belonging to the HV cluster), characteristic of athletes with the highest endurance. Psychological studies have shown high and very high intensity of the properties of individual scales of the tools used mental resilience (62–100% depending on the scale), openness to experience (10th sten), coherence (10th sten), positive perfectionism (100%) and overall hope for success score (10th sten). The athlete himself considers the commitment and mental support of his team to be a significant factor of his success. Body composition assessment (%fat 13.9) and the level of stress markers were unremarkable. The tested athlete showed a number of features of the champions of ultramarathon runs, such as: inborn predispositions, mental traits, level of training, and resistance to pain. However, none of these features are reserved exclusively for “champions”. Team support’s participation cannot be underestimated. The factors that guarantee the success of this elite 24-h UM runner go far beyond physiological and psychological explanations. Further studies are needed to identify individual elements of the putative “mosaic theory of being a champion”.

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Heart of the World’s Top Ultramarathon Runner—Not Necessarily Much Different from Normal

Cited by 15 publications

References 59 publications

Is Continuous ECG Recording on Heart Rate Monitors the Most Expected Function by Endurance Athletes, Coaches, and Doctors?

Is Continuous ECG Recording on Heart Rate Monitors the Most Expected Function by Endurance Athletes, Coaches, and Doctors?

Right Knee—The Weakest Point of the Best Ultramarathon Runners of the World? A Case Study

To Be a Champion of the 24-h Ultramarathon Race. If Not the Heart ... Mosaic Theory?

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