ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2012
Energetics of running in top-level marathon runners from Kenya.
Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Variability in Running Economy of Kenyan World-Class and European Amateur Male Runners with Advanced Footwear Running Technology: Experimental and Meta-analysis Results.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Pooled it
- A Randomized Crossover Study Investigating the Running Economy of Highly-Trained Male and Female Distance Runners in Marathon Racing Shoes versus Track Spikes.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2019Trial
- Structural and Potentially Modifiable Anthropometric Traits in Professional Kenyan and European Long-Distance Runners: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Association between running economy and VOBMC research notes · 2025Article
- The Sub 2-h Official Marathon is Possible: Developing a Drafting Strategy for a Historic Breakthrough in Sports.Sports medicine - open · 2025Article
- Recommendations for Women in Mountain Sports and Hypoxia Training/Conditioning.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Review
- Running Economy Changes Alter Predicted Running Speed and Performance in Collegiate Runners.International journal of exercise science · 2024Article
- How do differences in Achilles' tendon moment arm lengths affect muscle-tendon dynamics and energy cost during running?Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Article
- A century of exercise physiology: key concepts on coupling respiratory oxygen flow to muscle energy demand during exercise.European journal of applied physiology · 2022Review
- Non-South East Asians have a better running economy and different anthropometrics and biomechanics than South East Asians.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Development and Validation of Prediction Equation of "Athens Authentic Marathon" Men's Race Speed.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Human running performance from real-world big data.Nature communications · 2020Article
- The energy cost of swimming and its determinants.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Review
- Article
- Energetics of male field-sport athletes during the 3-min all-out test for linear and shuttle-based running.European journal of applied physiology · 2019Article
- Extrapolating Metabolic Savings in Running: Implications for Performance Predictions.Frontiers in physiology · 2019Article
- Contributions of metabolic and temporal costs to human gait selection.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2018Article
- A Comparison of the Energetic Cost of Running in Marathon Racing Shoes.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Article
- Does Metabolic Rate Increase Linearly with Running Speed in all Distance Runners?Sports medicine international open · 2018Article
- Article
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7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
On ten top-level Kenyan marathon runners (KA) plus nine European controls (EC, equivalent to KA), we measured maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and the energy cost of running (Cr) on track during training camps at moderate altitude, to better understand the KA dominance in the marathon. At each incremental running speed, steady-state oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured by telemetric metabolic cart, and lactate by electro-enzymatic method. The speed requiring VO2 = VO2max provided the maximal aerobic velocity (νmax). The energy cost of running was calculated by dividing net VO2 by the corresponding speed. The speed at lactate threshold (ν(ΘAN)) was computed from individual Lâ(b) versus speed curves. The sustainable VO2max fraction (Fd) at ν(ΘAN) (F(ΘAN)) was computed dividing nu(ΘAN) by νmax. The Fd for the marathon (Fmar) was determined as Fmar = 0.92 F(ΘAN). Overall, VO2max (64.9 ± 5.8 vs. 63.9 ± 3.7 ml kg(-1) min(-1)), νmax (5.55 ± 0.30 vs. 5.41 ± 0.29 m s(-1)) and Cr (3.64 ± 0.28 vs. 3.63 ± 0.31 J kg(-1) m(-1)) resulted the same in KA as in EC. In both groups, Cr increased linearly with the square of speed. F(ΘAN) was 0.896 ± 0.054 in KA and 0.909 ± 0.068 in EC; Fmar was 0.825 ± 0.050 in KA and 0.836 ± 0.062 in EC (NS). Accounting for altitude, running speed predictions from present data are close to actual running performances, if F(ΘAN) instead of Fmar is taken as index of Fd. In conclusion, both KA and EC did not have a very high VO2max, but had extremely high Fd, and low Cr, equal between them. The dominance of KA over EC cannot be explained on energetic grounds.
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