The Age of Peak Marathon Performance in Cross-Country Skiing—The “Engadin Ski Marathon”

Knechtle, Beat; Nikolaïdis, Pantelis Theodoros

doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000001931

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The decreased MWR in the slower performance groups indicated that women were slower than men, which was in line with the sex difference found in another XC skiing race (Engadin ski marathon) [20,24]. The faster race speed in men might reflect sex differences in VO 2 max [17,28], muscle power and body mass [18], because it has been shown that these physiological characteristics are related to performance in XC skiing [7,31].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…We excluded the cases (n = 540) with at least one missing split time, which resulted in the final inclusion of 183,919 finishers (19,465 women and 164,454 men) (▶Table 2). Because there is a sex difference in race time in XC skiing [20,24], we classified finishers in performance groups (nine in women and 10 in men) based on race time ( < 3 h, 3-4 h, …, 11-12 h, > 12 h). The different number of performance groups between women and men was due to the fact that no woman had a race time < 4 h. The number of performance groups into which finishers were assigned was similar to the number of groups used at the start of the official race.…”

Section: Data Sampling and Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Portrait of Pacing Profile of Cross-Country Skiers in the Vasaloppet 2004–2017

Nikolaidis¹,

Villiger

Rosemann

et al. 2018

Int J Sports Med

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The aim of the study was to examine the effect of performance group by race time (10 groups;<3 h, 3-4 h, and so on up to>12 h) on pacing in women (n=19,465) and men (n=164,454) finishers in the 'Vasaloppet' cross-country (XC) skiing race from 2004 to 2017. The speed in the fastest and slowest split was analysed as a percentage of the mean race speed and pacing was defined as the difference (%) between the fastest and slowest split. Women had a larger pace range than men (44.0±10.6% versus 41.1±12.5%, respectively, p<0.001, d=0.25). An almost perfect relationship between performance group and pacing was observed in women (r=0.900, p<0.001) and men (r=0.908, p<0.001). A large main effect of performance on pacing was observed in women (p<0.001, η=0.292), where the smaller range was in the<4 h group (22.8±3.3%) and the largest in the 10-11 h group (49.2±9.9%). In men, the corresponding values were 21.6±2.2% (<3 h group) and 51.6±11.2% (10-11 h group; p<0.001, η=0.474). Based on these findings, it was concluded that fast XC skiers had relatively the most even pacing and pacing became less even with decreasing performance. This information is of practical value for coaches working with XC skiers to develop optimal sex- and performance-tailored pacing strategies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Data Sampling and Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

A Portrait of Pacing Profile of Cross-Country Skiers in the Vasaloppet 2004–2017

Nikolaidis¹,

Villiger

Rosemann

et al. 2018

Int J Sports Med

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“…The average age of our fast skiers was 26 (the winner was 32), while the corresponding value for the slow skiers was 22. Thus, these fast skiers may have developed their athletic performance [ 19 ], including factors of importance for endurance in skiing such as aerobic capacity, exercise economy, muscle strength and technical skills [ 20 ], to a greater degree. Such development probably allowed them not only to ski at high speed, but also to maintain a high pace throughout the race.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The pacing strategy and technique of male cross-country skiers with different levels of performance during a 15-km classical race

et al. 2017

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In this study the pacing strategy, cycle characteristics and choice of technique of elite male cross-country (XC) skiers during a three-lap, 15-km classical race with interval start were measured. During the Norwegian Championships in 2016, fast (n = 18, age: 26±4 yr; height: 182±4 cm; body mass: 78±3 kg (means±SD)) and slow skiers (n = 18, age: 22±2 yr; height: 183±5 cm; body mass: 78±6 kg) were video recorded on flat (0°), intermediate (3.5°) and uphill sections (7.1°) of the first and final laps. All skiers adopted a positive pacing strategy, skiing more slowly (11.8%) with shorter cycles (11.7%) on the final than first lap (both p<0.001; pη2 = 0.93 and 0.87, respectively). The fast skiers were 7.0% faster overall (p<0.001, d = 4.20), and 6.1% (p<0.001, d = 3.32) and 7.0% (p<0.001, d = 3.68) faster on the first and final laps, respectively, compared to slower skiers. On all sections of both laps, the fast skiers exhibited 9.5% more rapid (pη2 = 0.74) and 8.9% (pη2 = 0.48) longer cycles (both p<0.001). On intermediate terrain, the fast skiers employed primarily double poling (DP, 38.9% on the first lap) and double poling with a kick (DPKICK, 50% on the final lap). In contrast, the slow skiers utilized for the most part DP alone (lap 1: 33.3%, lap 3: 38.9%) or in combination with other techniques (lap 1: 33.3%, lap 3: 38.9%) and decreased their usage of DPKICK from 27.8% on the first to 16.7% on the final lap. Skiing velocity on flat and intermediate terrain proved to be the best predictor of race performance (p<0.001). In conclusion, during a 15-km classical XC skiing race, velocity and cycle length decreased from the first to the final lap, most extensively on flat terrain and least uphill. Moreover, on the intermediate sections the fast and slow skiers chose to use different techniques.

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“…The age in our group (38.69±7.95) was significantly higher than among the best long-distance skiers. According to Knechtle and Nikolaidis [9] the age of peak performance of cross-country skiers competing in long distance races was much lower and closer to the peak of aerobic capacity than what was found in previous studies in marathon road runners. In our study (VO 2 max) it was 48.37 ml/kg/min and 3.83 l/min.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in amateur male cross-country skiers

2019

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The aim of the study was to present the performance parameters, their assessment and their predictors in the group of amateur cross-country skiers at the beginning of the preparatory period. For this purpose, incremental exercise tests were carried out on the treadmill. Body composition measurement was performed using impedance analyzer. The main findings of the study were that the most correlated with VO2 relative (max) were percentages of body fat, running speed (maximum) (km/h), running speed (final) (km/h), ventilation (L/min) and physiological cost of running (ml/kg/km). The appointment of the predictors can be an effective tool to assess the efficiency of this group and prepare a proper training plan for them.

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The Age of Peak Marathon Performance in Cross-Country Skiing—The “Engadin Ski Marathon”

Cited by 15 publications

References 18 publications

A Portrait of Pacing Profile of Cross-Country Skiers in the Vasaloppet 2004–2017

A Portrait of Pacing Profile of Cross-Country Skiers in the Vasaloppet 2004–2017

The pacing strategy and technique of male cross-country skiers with different levels of performance during a 15-km classical race

Determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in amateur male cross-country skiers

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