A Narrative Analysis of the Progression in the Top 100 Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10-km Road Race Times from 2001 to 2019.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to characterize and describe finishing time trends of the fastest 100 performers in the men's and women's marathon, half-marathon, and road 10-km each year from 2001 to 2019 and assess the underlying basis for recent performance improvements. METHODS: The top 100 performers for each sex, event, and year were partitioned into four arbitrary ranking groups: 1-10, 11-25, 26-50, and 51-100. The percent improvement in mean performance time for each year beyond 2001 was calculated for each ranking group, event, and sex. Multiple linear regression was also used to determine improvement trend for each ranking group, both sexes, and all events for each 3-yr period between Olympic years. RESULTS: In total, 11,400 performances in the marathon, half-marathon, and 10-km road races from 2001 to 2019 were analyzed. The 3-yr period preceding the original date of the Tokyo Olympics (2017-2019) accounted for 44% and 35% of the overall improvement in marathon time from 2001 to 2019 for women and men, respectively. The years 2017-2019 featured the largest average improvement of any 3-yr period and was the only period where nearly every ranking group in every event for both sexes improved. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that recent world record performances are a result of overall circumstances affecting road racing (e.g., shoe technology) rather than the outstanding physiology of individual top runners, per se.

Participation and Performance in the Oldest Ultramarathon-Comrades Marathon 1921-2019.

Participation and performance trends have been analyzed for different ultramarathons for limited time periods. This study examined trends in participation and performance in the oldest ultramarathon in the world, the 'Comrades Marathon' (South Africa), during a century (1921-2019). Data from www.ultra-marathon.org on 100 000 unique finishers were analysed using different general linear models. Women represented 4.2% of the total sample (n=4152), and the first women ran this race in 1978. Before the year 1965, the number of participants in the race ranged between 5 and 35 athletes, then started to grow exponentially until mid 90's. An increase in finishers in the 70 s mainly due to an increase in male athletes in age groups 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years was observed (p<0.001). A stable running speed for overall women and men but an improvement in performance for the annual top five women and men were shown (p<0.001). Male runners were faster than female runners for all age groups (p<0.001). While overall performance was not improved across years, the annual top five women and men were able to improve their performance over years.

Half marathon induces changes in central control and peripheral properties of individual motor units in master athletes.

Acute changes in central control and peripheral properties of motor units following a half-marathon has never been examined in master athletes. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to estimate the firing properties and twitch characteristics of motor units after a 21-km race in a group of ten trained older adults. High-density surface EMG decomposition was used to identify motor unit activity during a submaximal contraction of the tibialis anterior muscle before and after the half marathon. The area of the estimated motor unit twitch profile was found smaller after the race (P = 0.039). This reduction in contractile efficiency was compensated by a significant increase in the initial and average discharge rate of the identified motor units (P < 0.001). By estimating the amount of shared and independent synaptic input to tibialis anterior motor neurons, we demonstrated that adaptations in the discharge properties of master athletes' motor units are the likely consequence of an increased net excitatory synaptic drive to the motor neuron pool. These findings suggest a potential role of long-distance running in ameliorating declines in muscle function of older adults by enhancing the neural drive to muscle.

Age-related participation and performance trends of children and adolescents in ultramarathon running.

Participation and performance trends as well as the performance differences among sexes in ultra-endurance running have been well described in the adult population; however, less information on such trends existed in youth ultramarathoners. The aim of the present study was to investigate the age-related participation and performance trends of children and adolescent ultramarathoner runners. Data on runners, younger than 19 years of age, competing from 1960 to 2018 in distance-limited ultramarathons of 50 km, 100 km, 50 miles and 100 miles, were analysed. During this period, the number of ultramarathon participation increased, most notably among boys, most runners originated from Europe, and the 50- and 100-km race distances were the most popular. Overall, male runners were faster than female runners, except in the case of European and Oceanian origin, where girls were faster over the 50-km race. The fastest male runners originated from Africa and the fastest girls from Oceania, and the average running speed has largely decreased for both sexes over calendar years. In summary, this study was the first to report details on participation and performance trends in youth ultramarathoners competing in distance-limited ultramarathons.

Formación de voluntarios como promotor es comunales de la salud cardiovascular en el programa Cartago da vida al corazón: 10 años de experiencia. Área demostrativa iniciativa CARMEN - Costa Rica / Training of volunteers as community promoters of cardiovascular health in the program Cartago gives life to the heart: 10 years of experience. Demonstration area CARMEN initiative - Costa Rica

Resumen Objetivos: Dar a conocer la metodología y los resultados de la formación de promotores de la salud cardiovascular en el programa " Cartago da vida al corazón" Introducción: La enfermedad cardiovascular es el problema número uno de la salud en una gran cantidad de países de Latinoamérica. Esta enfermedad es de origen más conductual que biológico y se inicia en gran proporción por efecto de los estilos de vida inadecuados en la población. La intervención de la enfermedad se realiza usando estrategias individuales para los casos y poblacionales para los grupos en riesgo. La participación de la comunidad en la producción de su salud cardiovascular es una estrategia que ha demostrado tener un mayor impacto que las intervenciones individuales. Basado en la idea promocionada por el Ministerio de Salud de los Educadores Comunitarios de Salud (ECOS), se adaptó y validó una estrategia para promocionar la salud cardiovascular en las comunidades cartaginesas. Métodos: Se identificaron y motivaron los candidatos, se capacitaron durante un mínimo de 90 horas en los conocimientos básicos sobre los factores de riesgo cardiovascular, su medición y técnicas educativas. Se realizaron actividades de práctica con el grupo en formación y se le brindaron los elementos mínimos necesarios para que puedan planificar sus acciones elaborar proyectos comunales simples y evaluar su trabajo. Teóricamente a los promotores formados se les dio seguimiento sobre sus actividades en la comunidad y se les dio refrescamiento sobre conocimientos y practicas útiles en sus acciones. Resultados: Se han realizado seis cursos de formación en el que participaron 94 voluntarios, de éstos 50 se mantienen activos, algunos realizan acciones comunales como dar educación a grupos comunales, otros tienen grupos para realizar ejercicio físico y la mayoría colaboran con el programa en la realización de los talleres comunales de promoción de la salud cardiovascular. El 100% de los evaluados, ha logrado modificar por lo menos 1 factor de riesgo, 87% han modificado 2 factores, 76% modificaron tres factores, 52% cuatro factores y 32% 5 factores y más. Discusión: Es bien teorizado que la salud se producirá en mejor forma cuando se incorpore activa y sostenidamente la participación de la comunidad en los programas de salud. Sin embargo, este siempre ha sido un problema dado la participación siempre es escasa. En este proyecto se partió de la hipótesis que se mejora la participación y la acción dando a los voluntarios los elementos siguientes: motivación, capacitación, independencia funcional, seguimiento y evaluación. Se persigue que los voluntarios se empoderen del problema cardiovascular y sus factores de riesgo en sus comunidades y que por su propia iniciativa desarrollen acciones de intervención del riesgo. Los que están trabajando lo hacen bien, la falla ha estado en el seguimiento y re-motivación pues no se ha llevado a cabo en la forma en que propuso originalmente.

Abstract Aims: Publish the methodology and the results of the cardiovascular health promoters training in the Program Cartago da vida al corazón" (Catago gives life to the heart"). Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the first health problem in a large number of Latin American countries. This disease have a behavioral origin rather than biological and initiate in a large proportion because of inappropriate life styles in the population. The control of this disease is performed using individual strategies for cases and population strategies for groups in risk. Community participation in its own cardiovascular health production is a strategy that has shown having a better impact than individual interventions. Based on the idea of Educadores Comunitarios de Salud (ECOS), Health Community Teachers, promoted by the Ministry of Health, a strategy was adopted and validated for promoting cardiovascular health in the communities-of-Cartago-city. Methods: Candidates were identificated and motivated. They were trained for a minimum of 90 hours about basic knowledge related to cardiovascular risk factors, its measurement and educative techniques. It was conducted practical activities with the group being trained and they were given minimum required elements so they can plan their actions, prepare simple comunal projects and evaluate their work. Trained promoters were monitored about their activities in the community and were updated about their knowledge and useful practices for their actions. Results: Six training courses were conducted with the attendance of 94 volunteers from which 50 are still active. Some of they conduct activities like educate community groups, others have groups for physical exercising and most of them participate in the program conducting cardiovascular health promotion community workshops. Out of those that were evaluated, 100% have modified at least one risk factor, 87% have modified two factors, 76% modified three factors, 52% four factors and 32% five factors ore more. Discussion: It is well theorized that health will be produced better when community participation in the health programs is active and continuous. However, this have always been a problema because of the scarce participation. This Project started from the hypothesis that participation and action are improved by giving to the volunteers the following elements: motivation, training, functional independence, monitoring and evaluation. It is pursued to empower volunteers about the cardiovascular problem and its risk factors in their communities and to achieve that they develop risk intervention actions by their own initiative. Those that are working are doing well, the fault has been the monitoring and the remotivation since it has not been conducted as it was originally proposed.