Backyard running: Pushing the boundaries of human performance

dc.contributor.authorMeeusen Romain
dc.contributor.authorDe Pauw, Kevin
dc.contributor.authorAmpe T.
dc.contributor.authorArauz, Y. L. Arenales
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-03T13:00:27Z
dc.date.available2025-02-03T13:00:27Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractUltrarunning is gaining in popularity but no information is available on the physiological and psychological responses during backyard ultrarunning events. The aim of this study was to determine changes in cognitive function, markers of physiological resilience, and running performance during a backyard-running event. Twelve male ultrarunners (38 ± 8 years old, BMI: 23.5 ± 1.6 kg/m2, and VO2max: 60.8 ± 4.7 mL/min/kg) were monitored before, during, and after the event. Cognitive performance was determined using a cognitive test battery before, during, and after the event. During the event, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), blood lactate concentration, and heart rate (HR) were assessed. Physical performance was investigated using the total number of completed laps and running speed per lap. Athletes completed 34 ± 17 laps equaling 227.8 ± 113.9 km with average speeds starting at 9.0 km/h and slowing down to 7.5 km/h at the end of the event. Physiological resilience (estimated using HR/speed) varied between athletes, with significantly lower values in the more proficient backyard runners at the end of the event (p < 0.05). HR and lactate levels remained constant, whereas a progressive increase in RPE was noticed (p ≤ 0.001). A significantly worsened reaction time was observed for several cognitive tasks after the event compared to baseline measures (p ≤ 0.05). These observations show that physiological resilience differs depending on the level of endurance performance of the athletes. Furthermore, the backyard ultrarunning event negatively impacted psychomotor speed. Therefore, the results suggest that implementing strategies that enhance physiological resilience and/or psychomotor speed could potentially have a positive effect on performance in ultraendurance activities
dc.identifier.citationDe Pauw, K., Ampe, T., Arauz, Y.A., Galloo, X., Buyse, L., Olieslagers, M., Demuyser, T., Corlùy, H., Lamarti, S., Provyn, S. and Jones, A.M., 2024. Backyard running: Pushing the boundaries of human performance. European journal of sport science.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12190
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/19960
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherJohn Wiley and Sons Inc
dc.subjectbackyard running
dc.subjectcognitive performance
dc.subjectendurance performance
dc.subjectphysiological resilience
dc.subjectultra-running
dc.titleBackyard running: Pushing the boundaries of human performance
dc.typeArticle

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