ArticlePloS one2012
Impact of environmental parameters on marathon running performance.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Carbohydrate supplementation for endurance exercise in the heat: a systematic review with practical recommendations.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Temperature-driven modulation of factors influencing full-Marathon time in male recreational runners.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Air Pollution Impairs Marathon Performance: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2.7 Million Finishers Across Six World Marathon Majors.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
- Pacing Profiles in Half-Marathon and Marathon Running Based on Performance Level, Sex, and Age: A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Extreme Temperatures, Physical Activity, and Adaptation.Journal of public economics · 2026Article
- A Systematic Review of the Factors Associated with Performance in Non-Elite Runners.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Review
- The New York City Marathon: A systematic review of performance, participation, pacing, and health-related outcomes.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- Running on Fumes: An Analysis of Fine Particulate Matter's Impact on Finish Times in Nine Major US Marathons, 2003-2019.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Article
- Early marathon running metrics from inertial measurement units predict significant pace reduction.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Paris air quality monitoring for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics: focus on air pollutants and pollen.British journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Effects of Environmental Conditions on Athlete's Cardiovascular System.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- The effect of advanced footwear technology on elite male marathon race speed.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- Using machine learning to determine the nationalities of the fastest 100-mile ultra-marathoners and identify top racing events.PloS one · 2024Article
- Associations between environmental factors and running performance: An observational study of the Berlin Marathon.PloS one · 2024Observational
- An analysis of the São Silvestre race between 2007-2021: An increase in participation but a decrease in performance.Sports medicine and health science · 2023Article
- Pacing Variation in Multistage Ultramarathons: Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Predicting the body core temperature of recreational athletes at the end of a 10 km self-paced run under environmental heat stress.Experimental physiology · 2023Article
- Fur removal promotes an earlier expression of involution-related genes in mammary gland of lactating mice.Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2023Article
- Impact of air pollution on running performance.Scientific reports · 2023Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe objectives of this study were to describe the distribution of all runners' performances in the largest marathons worldwide and to determine which environmental parameters have the maximal impact.
methodsWe analysed the results of six European (Paris, London, Berlin) and American (Boston, Chicago, New York) marathon races from 2001 to 2010 through 1,791,972 participants' performances (all finishers per year and race). Four environmental factors were gathered for each of the 60 races: temperature (°C), humidity (%), dew point (°C), and the atmospheric pressure at sea level (hPA); as well as the concentrations of four atmospheric pollutants: NO(2)-SO(2)-O(3) and PM(10) (μg x m(-3)).
resultsAll performances per year and race are normally distributed with distribution parameters (mean and standard deviation) that differ according to environmental factors. Air temperature and performance are significantly correlated through a quadratic model. The optimal temperatures for maximal mean speed of all runners vary depending on the performance level. When temperature increases above these optima, running speed decreases and withdrawal rates increase. Ozone also impacts performance but its effect might be linked to temperature. The other environmental parameters do not have any significant impact.
conclusionsThe large amount of data analyzed and the model developed in this study highlight the major influence of air temperature above all other climatic parameter on human running capacity and adaptation to race conditions.
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