Participation and Performance in the Oldest Ultramarathon–Comrades Marathon 1921–2019

Nikolaidis, Pantelis Theodoros; Knechtle, Beat; Vancini, RodrigoLuiz; Gomes, Margarida; Sousa, Caio Victor

doi:10.1055/a-1303-4255

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…A further finding was that mostly the age group of 30-59 years increased the number of participants. A similar development occurred in the "Comrades Marathon" with an increase in finishers that arises from a higher number of male participants in the age group 30-60 years [13,23]. Additionally, a new age group appeared in 2010 in our study, with participants over 80 years beginning to take part more frequently in these events.…”

Section: Increased Number Of Finisherssupporting

confidence: 79%

“…This means that the longer the competition's running distance, the earlier the performance balance between men and women [39]. This trend of a smaller performance gap between men and women in the older than in the younger age groups could also be demonstrated in big data samplings of 50-km ultra-marathons worldwide [40], in single races like "The Comrades Marathon" [13,41], or in the "New York City Marathon" [42]. These findings of the performance gap decline in older age groups in ultra-marathons have already been demonstrated in other sports, such as master swimmers, who no longer have a performance gap in the age group 80-89 years [30].…”

Section: Younger and Older Women Achieve A Similar Performance To Thementioning

confidence: 88%

“…In contrast to the increasing number of participants worldwide, a decline of participation in particular single events could be observed [3,9,13]. For example, the decrease of participants in single events can be shown in the oldest 100-km ultra-marathon in the world, the "100-km Lauf Biel" [3], or in the "Comrades Marathon" [13].…”

Section: Ratio Participants/eventmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The number of participants in single ultra-marathons like the "100-km Lauf von Biel", as the oldest 100-km ultra-marathon in the world [9], or the "Comrades Marathon" primarily increased in the 1970s and 1980s. Thereafter, a continuous decline occurred [9,13]. The initial increase and the subsequent decrease of participation depended primarily on the number of male participants [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide

Stöhr

Nikolaidis

Villiger

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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This study aimed to analyze the number of successful finishers and the performance of the athletes in 100-km ultra-marathons worldwide. A total of 2067 100-km ultra-marathon races with 369,969 men and 69,668 women competing between 1960 and 2019 were analyzed, including the number of successful finishers, age, sex, and running speed. The results showed a strong increase in the number of running events as well as a strong increase in the number of participants in the 100-km ultra-marathons worldwide. The performance gap disappeared in athletes older than 60 years. Nevertheless, the running speed of athletes over 70 years has improved every decade. In contrast, the performance gap among the top three athletes remains persistent over all decades (F = 83.4, p < 0.001; pη2 = 0.039). The performance gap between the sexes is not significant in the youngest age groups (20–29 years) and the oldest age groups (>90 years) among recreational athletes and among top-three athletes over 70 years. In summary, especially for older athletes, a 100-km ultra-marathon competition shows an increasing number of opponents and a stronger performance challenge. This will certainly be of interest for coaches and athletes in the future, both from a scientific and sporting point of view.

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Section: Increased Number Of Finisherssupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Younger and Older Women Achieve A Similar Performance To Thementioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Ratio Participants/eventmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide

Stöhr

Nikolaidis

Villiger

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

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“…Considering all women and men, performance was observed to be stable over the years, but when considered by decades, both women and men were faster in the last two decades compared with the first two decades of the race. There was an improvement in performance for the fastest runners in the Comrades Marathon (South Africa) during the century 1921–2019; whereas overall women and men maintained a stable running speed, an improvement in performance for the annual top five women and men was found [ 26 ]. Both the Comrades Marathon and the Spartathlon have strict participant selection criteria and strict cut-off times during the race.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Athens to Sparta—37 Years of Spartathlon

Knechtle

Gomes

Scheer³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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(1) Background: Recent studies analyzed the participation and performance trends of historic races such as the oldest ultra-marathon (Comrades) or the oldest 100-km ultra-marathon (Biel). One of the toughest and historic ultra-marathons in the world is the ‘Spartathlon’ (246-km ultra-marathon from Athens to Sparta). The present study aimed to analyze the trends in participation and performance of this race. (2) Methods: Different general linear models were applied as follows: the first model was a two-way ANOVA (Decade × Sex), with separate models for all participants and for only the top five finishers in each race; the second model was a two-way ANOVA (Age Group × Sex); the third model was a two-way ANOVA (Nationality × Sex). (3) Results: Between 1982 and 2019, 3504 ultra-marathoners (3097 men and 407 women) officially finished the Spartathlon at least once. Athletes from Japan were the majority with 737 participants, followed by far by runners from Germany (n = 393), Greece (n = 326), and France (n = 274). The nations with the highest numbers of athletes amongst the top five performers were Japan (n = 71), followed by Germany (n = 59), and Great Britain (n = 31). Runners from the USA were the fastest in men, and runners from Great Britain were the fastest in women. Female and male runners improved performance across the decades. The annual five fastest women and men improved their performance over time. Runners achieved their best performance earlier in life (20–29 and 30–39 years) than female runners (30–39 and 40–49 years). Runners in age group 30–39 years were the fastest for all nationalities, except for Greece. (4) Conclusions: Successful finishers in the Spartathlon improved performance in the last four decades and male runners achieved their best performance ~10 years earlier in life than female runners.

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Analysis of the 72-h ultramarathon using a predictive XG Boost model

Knechtle,

Villiger,

Weiss

et al. 2024

Sport Sci Health

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Background Ultramarathon running enjoys unwavering popularity. This includes the 72-h run, the longest time-limited ultramarathon based on hours and not days, yet this specific race format remains understudied. In particular, we are still determining where the fastest 72-h ultra-marathoners originate or where the fastest races are held. The aim of the present study was to investigate the origins of the best performers and the locations of the fastest races. Methods A machine learning model based on the XG Boost algorithm was built to predict running speed based on the athlete´s gender, age group, country of origin, the country where the race was held, the kind of race course (road, trail, track), and the elevation (flat, hilly). Model explainability tools were then used to investigate how each independent variable would influence the predicted running speed. Results A total of 2,857 race records from 1,870 unique runners from 36 different countries participating in 55 races held in 22 countries between 1989 and 2022 were analyzed. Athletes from the USA account for more than 2/3 of the sample size. Also, more than 3/4 of the participants competed in USA-based races. Athletes from Ireland, Japan, and Ukraine were the fastest. In respect of the fastest races, they were held in Ukraine, The Netherlands, and Japan. The model rated the country of event as the most important predictor followed by the race characteristics of elevation and race course, athlete country of origin, age group, and gender. On average, men were 0.33 km/h faster than women. The fastest running speeds were achieved by runners in age group 45–49 years. Conclusions The country of the event was found to be the most important predictor in the 72-h run. Despite the dominance of runners from USA and the predominance of courses in the USA in terms of participation, athletes from Ireland, Japan, and Ukraine achieved the fastest times, while Ukraine, The Netherlands, and Japan were found to host the fastest courses.

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Participation and Performance in the Oldest Ultramarathon–Comrades Marathon 1921–2019

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide

An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide

From Athens to Sparta—37 Years of Spartathlon

Analysis of the 72-h ultramarathon using a predictive XG Boost model

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