ArticlePloS one2018
Russians are the fastest 100-km ultra-marathoners in the world.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Change in elevation predicts 100 km ultra marathon performance.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Analysis of the 50-mile ultramarathon distance using a predictive XGBoost model.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Analysis of over 1 million race records shows runners from East African countries as the fastest in 50-km ultra-marathons.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A Machine Learning Approach to Finding the Fastest Race Course for Professional Athletes Competing in IronmanInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- A macro to micro analysis to understand performance in 100-mile ultra-marathons worldwide.Scientific reports · 2023Article
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- The Sex Difference in 6-h Ultra-Marathon Running-The Worldwide Trends from 1982 to 2020.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Article
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- Italians Are the Fastest 3000 m Open-Water Master Swimmers in the World.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- From Athens to Sparta-37 Years of Spartathlon.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Training and Racing Behavior of Recreational Runners by Race Distance-Results From the NURMI Study (Step 1).Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- The Role of Nationality in Ultra-Endurance Sports: The Paradigm of Cross-Country Skiing and Long-Distance Running.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- Participation and Performance Trends in the Oldest 100-km Ultramarathon in the World.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- 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
- Pacing During and Physiological Response After a 12-Hour Ultra-Marathon in a 95-Year-Old Male Runner.Frontiers in physiology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesA recent study investigating the top 10 100-km ultra-marathoners by nationality showed that Japanese runners were the fastest worldwide. This selection to top athletes may lead to a selection bias and the aim of this study was to investigate from where the fastest 100-km ultra-marathoners originate by considering all finishers in 100-km ultra-marathons since 1959.
methodsWe analysed data from 150,710 athletes who finished a 100-km ultra-marathon between 1959 and 2016. To get precise estimates and stable density plots we selected only those nationalities with 900 and more finishes resulting in 24 nationalities. Histograms and density plots were performed to study the distribution of race time. Crude mean, standard deviation, median, interquartile range (IQR), mode, skewness and excess of time for each nationality were computed. A linear regression analysis adjusted by sex, age and year was performed to study the race time between the nationalities. Histograms, density and scatter plots showed that some races seemed to have a time limit of 14 hours. From the complete dataset the finishes with more than 14 hours were removed (truncated dataset) and the same descriptive plots and analysis as for the complete dataset were performed again. In addition to the linear regression a truncated regression was performed with the truncated dataset to allow conclusion for the whole sample. To study a potential difference between races at home and races abroad, an interaction term race site home/abroad with nationality was included in the model.
resultsMost of the finishes were achieved by runners from Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and USA with more than 260'000 (85%) finishes. Runners from Russia and Hungary were the fastest and runners from Hong Kong and China were the slowest finishers.
conclusionIn contrast to existing findings investigating the top 10 by nationality, this analysis showed that ultra-marathoners from Russia, not Japan, were the fastest 100-km ultra-marathoners worldwide when considering all races held since 1959.
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