ArticleExtreme physiology & medicine2013
Master runners dominate 24-h ultramarathons worldwide-a retrospective data analysis from 1998 to 2011.
Article in Extreme physiology & medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- TheFrontiers in physiology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of two neuromuscular training programs on running biomechanics with load carriage: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2016Trial
- 24-Hour Ultra-Marathon Running: A Narrative Review of Performance Factors and Physiological Impacts.Sports medicine - open · 2026Review
- Agreement and Reliability Between Urine Reagent Strips and Refractometry for Field Assessment of Hydration in Ultra-Trail Runners.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Analysis of over 1 million race records shows runners from East African countries as the fastest in 50-km ultra-marathons.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Pacing Variation in Multistage Ultramarathons: Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Changes in pacing variation with increasing race duration in ultra-triathlon races.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- The heart of the ageing endurance athlete: the role of chronic coronary stress.European heart journal · 2021Review
- An Analysis of Participation and Performance of 2067 100-km Ultra-Marathons Worldwide.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Musculoskeletal Injuries in Ultra-Endurance Running: A Scoping Review.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Participation and Performance Analysis in Children and Adolescents Competing in Time-Limited Ultra-Endurance Running Events.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Physiology and Pathophysiology in Ultra-Marathon Running.Frontiers in physiology · 2018Review
- Application of pre-participation cardiovascular screening guidelines to novice older runners and endurance athletes.SAGE open medicine · 2016Article
- Article
- Atrial fibrillation and physical activity: Should we exercise caution?Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2015Review
- Performance differences between sexes in 50-mile to 3,100-mile ultramarathons.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2015Article
- Relationship of anthropometric and training characteristics with race performance in endurance and ultra-endurance athletes.Asian journal of sports medicine · 2014Article
- Runners in their forties dominate ultra-marathons from 50 to 3,100 miles.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2014Article
- Age, sex and (the) race: gender and geriatrics in the ultra-endurance age.Extreme physiology & medicine · 2014Article
- Will women outrun men in ultra-marathon road races from 50 km to 1,000 km?SpringerPlus · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe aims of the present study were to examine (a) participation and performance trends and (b) the age of peak running performance in master athletes competing in 24-h ultra-marathons held worldwide between 1998 and 2011.
methodsChanges in both running speed and the age of peak running speed in 24-h master ultra-marathoners (39,664 finishers, including 8,013 women and 31,651 men) were analyzed.
resultsThe number of 24-h ultra-marathoners increased for both women and men across years (P < 0.01). The age of the annual fastest woman decreased from 48 years in 1998 to 35 years in 2011. The age of peaking running speed remained unchanged across time at 42.5 ± 5.2 years for the annual fastest men (P > 0.05). The age of the annual top ten women decreased from 42.6 ± 5.9 years (1998) to 40.1 ± 7.0 years (2011) (P < 0.01). For the annual top ten men, the age of peak running speed remained unchanged at 42 ± 2 years (P > 0.05). Running speed remained unchanged over time at 11.4 ± 0.4 km h-1 for the annual fastest men and 10.0 ± 0.2 km/h for the annual fastest women, respectively (P > 0.05). For the annual ten fastest women, running speed increased over time by 3.2% from 9.3 ± 0.3 to 9.6 ± 0.3 km/h (P < 0.01). Running speed of the annual top ten men remained unchanged at 10.8 ± 0.3 km/h (P > 0.05). Women in age groups 25-29 (r2 = 0.61, P < 0.01), 30-34 (r2 = 0.48, P < 0.01), 35-39 (r2 = 0.42, P = 0.01), 40-44 (r2 = 0.46, P < 0.01), 55-59 (r2 = 0.41, P = 0.03), and 60-64 (r2 = 0.57, P < 0.01) improved running speed; while women in age groups 45-49 and 50-54 maintained running speed (P > 0.05). Men improved running speed in age groups 25-29 (r2 = 0.48, P = 0.02), 45-49 (r2 = 0.34, P = 0.03), 50-54 (r2 = 0.50, P < 0.01), 55-59 (r2 = 0.70, P < 0.01), and 60-64 (r2 = 0.44, P = 0.03); while runners in age groups 30-34, 35-39, and 40-44 maintained running speed (P > 0.05).
conclusionsFemale and male age group runners improved running speed. Runners aged >40 years achieved the fastest running speeds. By definition, runners aged >35 are master runners. The definition of master runners aged >35 years needs to be questioned for ultra-marathoners competing in 24-h ultra-marathons.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.