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König, S.* ; Jockenhöfer, C.* ; Billich, C.* ; Beer, M.* ; Machann, J. ; Schmidt-Trucksäss, A.* ; Schütz, U.*

Long distance running – Can bioprofiling predict success in endurance athletes?

Med. Hypotheses 146:110474 (2021)
Postprint DOI PMC
Open Access Green
The TransEuropeFootRace (TEFR) was one of the most extreme multistage competitions worldwide. The ultramarathon took the runners over a distance of 4487 km, from Bari, Italy, to the North Cape, Norway, in 64 days. The participating ultra-long-distance runners had to complete almost two marathons per day (~70 km). The race was accompanied by a research team analysing adaptations of different organ systems of the human body that were exposed to a chronic lack of regeneration time. Here, we analyzed runner's urine using mass spectrometric profiling of thousands of low-molecular weight compounds. The results indicated that pre-race molecular factors can predict finishers and separate them from nonfinishers already before the race. These observations were related to the training volume as finishers ran about twice as many kilometers per week before TEFR than nonfinishers, thus apparently achieving a higher performance level and resistance against overuse. While this hypothesis needs to be validated in future long-distance races, the bioprofiling experiments suggest that the competition readiness of the runners is measurable and might be adjustable.
Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Review
Corresponding Author
Keywords Mass Spectrometry ; Metabolomics ; Physical Exercise ; Tefr ; Ultramarathon; Transcontinental Multistage Footrace; Amino-acid-concentrations; Deca Iron Triathlon; Skeletal-muscle; Body-composition; Intramyocellular Lipids; Thiamine Triphosphate; Ultra-marathoners; Race Performance; Energy Turnover
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0306-9877
e-ISSN 0306-9877
Quellenangaben Volume: 146, Issue: , Pages: , Article Number: 110474 Supplement: ,
Publisher Elsevier
Publishing Place Journal Production Dept, Robert Stevenson House, 1-3 Baxters Place, Leith Walk, Edinburgh Eh1 3af, Midlothian, Scotland
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Grants University of Basel
German Research Association (DFG: 'Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft')