Distance Run Handicaps Paul Vanderburgh HSS 409: Kinesiology

Agenda  Background  Distance Running and Body Weight  Scaling and Other Activities  Running and Age  Age and Weight Handicap Proposal  Summary and Conclusions

Background Distance run times (DRT) well known to decrease with age and weight But…how much due to age and weight alone?

Age Categories  Widely used in road races  Often very few competitors in the oldest categories  No easy way to compare runners of different age groups

WAVA (World Association of Veterans Athletes) Age-Grading  Adjusts run time by an age-grading factor  Ex: 42 yr old male runs 24:00 5K Factor = Run time x Factor = 22:46 = Adjusted Run Time (ART) ART can be compared to all other runners’ ART’s  Handicap based on world bests, not physiology (

Team Clydesdale: BW and Age Categories: A1= Athenas lbs A2 = Athenas lbs A3 = Athenas 180lbs + C1 = Clydesdales lbs C2 = Clydesdales lbs C3 = Clydesdales lbs Y = Youth (Under 29 years) T = Thirty something (30-39 years) M = Master (40-49 years) GM = Grand Master (50 years +)

Distance Running and Body Weight - Theory  VO 2 max  Body Weight 1/3 (Astrand ’86)  5K run time  VO 2 max/BW (Nevill ’92)  Therefore, 5K run time  BW 1/3 (Vanderburgh 95)  Can probably be applied to other run distances

DRT and Body Weight – Actual Data DRT  BW 1/3 College-age men Lean, military academy cadets 2-mile run time (Crowder 95, Vanderburgh 95 ) Best-fit line

Other Aerobic Activities - Cycling Cycling: lighter cyclists have advantage climbing but heavier are faster in flat time trials (quantified by Swain 94)

Other Aerobic Activities - Rowing  Rowing Ergometer: 2500m time trial times  BW 1/3 or H  Row Time x Ht yields an adjusted score that is fair (Vanderburgh 96)

Strength and BW Handicaps  Strength is well known to be directly proportional to muscle cross sectional area (CSA)  Muscle Strength  CSA  BW 2/3 (Vanderburgh 99, Jaric 2002)  Wilks Powerlifting Formula provides an accurate handicap by BW (Vanderburgh 99)

Running and Age - Theory  Max heart rate is well known to decline with age (220-age)  This would likely explain the decline in VO 2max with age  Quantification of the independent effect of age on VO 2max : Males: 0.26 ml/kg. min O 2 per yr Females: 0.25 ml/kg. min O 2 per yr (Jackson 95, 96)

VO 2max Decline Run Time  Metabolic equations available: VO 2max and BW used to compute run speed  Example for 5K: 5K run speed = 84.3(VO 2max 1.01 BW ) (Nevill 92)  Run time changes could be calculated with VO 2max changes due to age

What Next?  Combine research findings to create a run-handicap model for age and body weight  Field test the model Examine logistics (weigh-ins, database) Validity

Summary/Conclusions  Distance run time  BW 1/3  VO 2max decreases, independent of other factors by: Males: 0.26 ml/kg. min O 2 per yr Females: 0.25 ml/kg. min O 2 per yr  This aerobic capacity decline can be linked, through metabolic equations, to actual run times  Research data can now be used to develop physiologically and biomechanically correct handicap models for age and BW

References 1.Crowder T & Yunker C. Scaling of push-up, sit-up and two-mile run performances by body weight and fat-free weight in young, fit men. [Abstract]. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 28:S183, Jackson A, E Beard, L Weir, R Ross, & S Blair. Changes in aerobic power of men, ages yr. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 27: , Jackson A, L Weir, G Ayers, E Beard, J Stuteville, & S Blair. Changes in aerobic power of women, ages Med Sci Sports Exerc. 28: , Jaric S, Ugarkovic D, & Kukolj M. Evaluation of methods of normalizing muscle strength in elite and young athletes. J Sports Med Physical Fitness. 42: , Nevill A, R Ramsbottom, & C Williams. Scaling physiological measurements for individuals of different body size. Eur J Appl Physiol. 65: , Swain D. The influence of body-mass in endurance bicycling. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 26:58-63, Vanderburgh P. A simple index to adjust maximal strength measures. J Exerc Physiol. 2:2-7, Vanderburgh P & A Batterham. Validation of the Wilks Powerlifting Formula. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 31: , Vanderburgh P, Katch F, Schoenleber J, Balabinis C & Elliott R. Multivariate allometric scaling of men’s world indoor rowing championship performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 28: , Vanderburgh P & M Mahar. Scaling of 2-mile run times by body weight and fat-free weight in college-age men. J Strength Cond Res. 9:67-70, 1995.