Performance Differences Between the Sexes in the Boston Marathon From 1972 to 2017

Knechtle, Beat; Gangi, Stefania Di; Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.

doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000002760

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The decrease was mainly due to a slump in the number of runners in the age groups of 20-29 to 60-69 years, whereas the number of male runners older than 70 years seemed to stabilize. This is in contrast to different reports describing an increase in both female and male participation in the last decades for different sports disciplines, such as marathons [35], ultramarathons [33], and triathlons [36]. A potential explanation could be that athletes were attracted after the 1980s to other sports disciplines, such as the Ironman triathlon [37], ultra-triathlons [12], or duathlons [25].…”

Section: Decrease In Male Participation After 1984contrasting

confidence: 70%

Participation and Performance Trends in the Oldest 100-km Ultramarathon in the World

Knechtle

Scheer

Nikolaidis³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Participation and performance trends in ultramarathon running have been investigated for large datasets and long period of times with an increase in participants and an improvement in performance. However, the analysis of ultramarathons across many decades is missing. We analyzed these trends for 96,036 athletes (88,286 men and 7750 women) from 67 countries competing between 1956 and 2019 in ‘100 km Lauf Biel’ in Switzerland, the oldest 100-km ultramarathon in the world. More men than women participated in all years. The number of male participants reached a peak at around 1985 and a decline in participation occurred thereafter. Women started competing in 1962. Men were always faster than women and both women and men reduced their race times over years. After about 1985, both overall women and men and both female and male winners were not able to improve race times. For men, athletes from all age groups below the age of 49 years old reached a peak of participation in the 1980s, and showed a decrease since then. Regarding age groups, the decrease first started in age group 20–29 years, followed by 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years. For athletes in age groups 70–79 and 80–89 years, no decrease occurred. For women, age group athletes in age groups 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years increased their participation, whereas age groups 20–29 and 30–39 peaked in the late 1980s and started to decrease or stabilize, respectively. Switzerland, Germany, and France were the countries with the highest numbers of participants throughout the history of the race. In men, race times increased after about 1990 for most nationalities; only runners from Germany seemed to stabilize their performance. In women, runners from Italy, France, and Austria improved their performance over the years. In summary, the analysis of the oldest 100-km ultramarathon in the world showed a decrease in participation and an impairment in performance in the last 60 years. These changes were due to a decrease in the number of male ultramarathoners in around the 1980s, where mainly the number of age group runners younger than 70 years decreased.

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Section: Decrease In Male Participation After 1984contrasting

confidence: 70%

Participation and Performance Trends in the Oldest 100-km Ultramarathon in the World

Knechtle

Scheer

Nikolaidis³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…The strength of the study was the use of a skinfold assessment method with many anatomical sites [16], allowing the detailed study of fat distribution. Considering the large number of recreational runners competing in marathon races [28,29] and the role of BF on race time [1,12], the findings would have practical applications in the context of monitoring training. Among the skinfold sites, practitioners should be advised to monitor anatomical sites presenting the largest variation, such as the pectoral, abdomen, and iliac crest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skinfold Thickness Distribution in Recreational Marathon Runners

Nikolaidis

Rosemann

Knechtle

2020

IJERPH

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The relationship of body fat (BF) percentage with performance of elite marathon runners has been well studied; however, less information is available about the variation of skinfold thickness by sex and performance in non-elite marathon runners. The aim of the present study was to examine the variation of skinfold thickness by sex and performance in recreational marathon runners. Participants included 32 female (age 40.1 ± 9.0 years, BF 19.6 ± 4.7%, and training volume 47.7 ± 22.6 km) and 134 male marathon runners (44.3 ± 8.8 years, 17.6 ± 4.0%, and 53.0 ± 21.2 km, respectively). The largest skinfold thickness was the abdomen in both sexes, whereas the smallest was biceps in men, and chins in women (p < 0.001). The largest sex difference in skinfold thickness was observed in triceps being the fattest in women (p < 0.001). The largest difference in skinfold thickness among men’s performance groups was observed in the iliac crest, and the smallest in the patella and proximal calf (p < 0.001). In summary, skinfold measurements indicated that women had more fat in both their upper and lower limbs, while men had more fat in their trunk. With regards to the role of performance level, the slowest runners presented relatively more fat in the upper limbs and trunk anatomical sites, i.e., away from the active muscles of legs.

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“…It is a paradox of modern society that the number of morbidities and mortalities related to a sedentary lifestyle increases, while, conversely, an increasing number of people participate in endurance sports, such as marathon, ultramarathon, triathlon, and some others (Hunter and Stevens, 2013;Knechtle et al, 2020). Unfortunately, deleterious changes, such as heart calcification (La Gerche et al, 2012) and others, in which exercise-induced inflammation plays a role, are observed in some athletes who regularly participate in such sporting events.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Ischemic Preconditioning on Marathon-Induced Changes in Serum Exerkine Levels and Inflammation

et al. 2020

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Participation in a long-distance run, e.g., marathon or ultramarathon, continues to increase. One side effect of long-distance running is excessive inflammation manifested by the rise in inflammatory cytokine levels. We here aimed to elucidate the effects of 10-day ischemic preconditioning (IPC) training on marathon-induced inflammation and to evaluate the role of serum-stored iron in this process. The study involved 19 recreational runners taking part in a marathon. IPC training was performed in the course of four cycles, by inflating and deflating a blood pressure cuff at 5-min intervals (IPC group, n = 10); the control group underwent sham training (n = 9). The levels of inflammatory and others markers (FSTL-1, IL-6, IL-15, leptin, resistin, TIMP-1, OSM, and LIF) were measured before and 24 h after training; and before, immediately after, and 24 h and 7 day after the marathon. The 10-day IPC training increased serum leptin levels. IL-6, IL-10, FLST-1, and resistin levels were increased, while TIMP-1 levels were decreased in all runners after the marathon. The changes were significantly blunted in runners from the IPC group compared with the control group. Baseline serum iron levels correlated with IL-6 and FSTL-1 levels; serum ferritin correlated with IL-6, FSTL-1, and resistin levels after the marathon. Conversely, serum TIMP-1 levels inversely correlated with serum iron levels. Although not evident at baseline, IPC training significantly reduced marathon-induced inflammation. In addition, the reduced responsiveness and attenuation of running-induced inflammation were inversely related to baseline serum iron and ferritin levels.

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Performance Differences Between the Sexes in the Boston Marathon From 1972 to 2017

Cited by 33 publications

References 19 publications

Participation and Performance Trends in the Oldest 100-km Ultramarathon in the World

Participation and Performance Trends in the Oldest 100-km Ultramarathon in the World

Skinfold Thickness Distribution in Recreational Marathon Runners

Effect of Ischemic Preconditioning on Marathon-Induced Changes in Serum Exerkine Levels and Inflammation

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