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Determinants of performance in 1,500-m runners

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Abstract

Our aim was to investigate the relationship between physiological variables (not previously studied) and performance in elite 1,500-m runners. We assessed eight male athletes with an average personal best time of 233.3 ± 6.9 s (110% of the world record) for the 1,500-m race. Ventilatory measurements, maximal oxygen consumption \( (\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\max }}} ), \) maximal vastus lateralis muscle deoxygenation (∆[deoxy(Hb+Mb)])max via near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and maximal velocity (V max) were obtained during an incremental treadmill test. During subsequent constant-speed exercise at V max, we determined the time to exhaustion (Tlim), end-exercise blood lactate concentration ([La]bmax), \( \dot{V} {\text{O}}_{2} \) and ∆[deoxy(Hb+Mb)] kinetics parameters. The mean \( \dot{V} {\text{O}}_{{2{ \max }}} , \) [La]bmax and V max were 70.2 ± 3.9 mL kg−1 min−1, 12.7 ± 2.4 mmol L−1, 21.5 ± 0.5 km h−1, respectively. \( \dot{V} {\text{O}}_{2} \) at V max showed a significant negative correlation with Tlim, whereas [La]bmax was positively correlated with Tlim. Race speed was found to significantly correlate with ∆[deoxy(Hb+Mb)]max (79% of maximal value obtained during a transient limb ischemia), ∆[deoxy(Hb+Mb)] slow component (22.9 ± 9.3% of total amplitude) and [La]bmax at V max. [La]bmax at V max was also significantly correlated with ∆[deoxy(Hb+Mb)] slow component, suggesting a greater release of oxygen from the hemoglobin due to the Bohr effect. We conclude that both the maximal capacity of muscle to extract O2 from the blood and the end-exercise blood lactate accumulation are important predictors of best performance in 1,500-m runners.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank all the athletes who volunteered for this study, their coaches Silvano Danzi and Pierino Endrizzi, and Dr Claudio Marconi who hosted us in his laboratory. We also thank Dr Francesca Lanfranconi for technical assistance. This research was funded by the University of Milano-Bicocca.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest of financial or otherwise nature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Clinical Physiology and Sport Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy

    Alessandra Ferri, Saverio Adamo & Giuseppe Miserocchi

  2. Department of Sport, Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Antonio La Torre

  3. Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, CNR, Segrate, MI, Italy

    Mauro Marzorati

  4. Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL) and School of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

    David J. Bishop

  5. Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20052, Monza, Italy

    Alessandra Ferri

Authors
  1. Alessandra Ferri
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  2. Saverio Adamo
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  3. Antonio La Torre
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  4. Mauro Marzorati
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  5. David J. Bishop
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  6. Giuseppe Miserocchi
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Correspondence to Alessandra Ferri.

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Communicated by Guido Ferretti.

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Ferri, A., Adamo, S., La Torre, A. et al. Determinants of performance in 1,500-m runners. Eur J Appl Physiol 112, 3033–3043 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2251-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2251-2

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