A comparison of anthropometric and training characteristics of Ironman triathletes and Triple Iron ultra-triathletes

Knechtle, Beat; Knechtle, Patrizia; Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Rosemann, Thomas

doi:10.1080/02640414.2011.587442

Cited by 34 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Indeed, training for an Ironman triathlon is very demanding and in order to place in the top ten of an age group category, extremely high training volumes and intensities are required. [18,107,108,109] However, it has been suggested that masters athletes could optimize their quality of training, so they could reduce their training volume to save time for adequate recovery and remain injury free. [84] These studies suggest that masters triathletes have probably not reached their limits in ultra-endurance performance.…”

Section: Improvements In Triathlon Performance Of Elderly Triathletesmentioning

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: Improvements In Triathlon Performance Of Elderly Triathletesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

2013

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“…In addition, the distances differ enormously between the single competitions. Much more endurance, training, and mental strength is required for a successful finish in a Double Deca Iron ultra-triathlon than for the ten-times shorter Double Iron ultra-triathlon (Knechtle, Duff, Amtmann & Kohler 2008a, Knechtle, Schwanke, Knechtle, & Kohler 2008c, Knechtle, Knechtle, Rüst & Rosemann 2011a, Lepers, Knechtle, Knechtle & Rosemann 2011, Zaryski & Smith 2005. Thus, a Triple Iron ultra-triathlete has to train for more hours than an Ironman-triathlete to reach the same level of performance (Knechtle, Knechtle, Rüst, & Rosemann 2011a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, a Triple Iron ultra-triathlete has to train for more hours than an Ironman-triathlete to reach the same level of performance (Knechtle, Knechtle, Rüst, & Rosemann 2011a). However, the average Triple Iron ultra-triathlete trains already for 19.3 hours a week (Knechtle, Knechtle, Rüst & Rosemann 2011a). Therefore, only a few ultra-triathletes of a very high level are able to complete an ultra-triathlon longer than a Triple Iron ultra-triathlon distance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They have to be in a very good physical and psychical condition to complete such a race because an ultra-triathlon challenges the human body enormously and the recovery phase can require several days (Knechtle, Duff, Amtmann & Kohler 2008a, Knechtle, Schwanke, Knechtle & Kohler 2008c, Knechtle, Knechtle, Andonie & Kohler 2009a, Knechtle, Vinzent, Kirby, Knechtle & Rosemann 2009b, Knechtle, Knechtle, Rosemann & Oliver 2010a, 2011a. The athletes also have to bear the costs of their own support crew to provide nutrition and changes of clothing and equipment, travel costs and accommodation, and ~$200 to $700 to start in a competition (www.iutasport.com).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The prefix "ultra" in sport means an endurance effort of more than six hours (Zaryski, & Smith 2005). Thus, ultra-triathletes rely more on high training volumes than Ironman triathletes (Knechtle, Knechtle, Rüst, & Rosemann 2011a). The ultra-triathlon scene started in 1985 with the doubling of the Ironman distances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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Laufsport und der Zusammenhang zwischen Training und Körperbau

Knechtle

Stiefel

Rosemann

et al. 2015

Therapeutische Umschau

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Running can be performed as a sprint discipline on the track over a few meters up to 10 km to the marathon and ultramarathon running distances over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. Running performance is influenced by a variety of anthropometric and training factors. Morphological features such as skin fold thickness, body fat percentage, circumferences and length of limbs, body weight, body height and body mass index (BMI) seem to have an influence on the running performance. The training volume and running speed during training are also correlated with running performance. When all variables were investigated comparatively, body fat and running speed during training were usually the most important influencing factors. For longer running performances (over 6 hours or 100 km, respectively), the aspects of experience (number of successfully finished races) and personal best times were, however, far more important than training volume or morphological characteristics such as body fat. It was also shown that ultra runners prepare differently (lower running speed and higher running volume) as runners competing over shorter distances such as half-marathon and marathon.

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A comparison of anthropometric and training characteristics of Ironman triathletes and Triple Iron ultra-triathletes

Cited by 34 publications

References 30 publications

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

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

Laufsport und der Zusammenhang zwischen Training und Körperbau

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