Should Body Size Categories Be More Common in Endurance Running Events?
Department
Exercise Science and Sport Management
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2018
Embargo Period
10-14-2022
Abstract
Thousands of endurance running events are held each year in the United States, and most of them use age and sex categories to account for documented effects of those factors on running performance. However, most running events do not provide categories of body mass, despite abundant evidence that it, too, dramatically influences endurance running performance. The purposes of this article are to (1) discuss how body mass affects endurance running performance, (2) explain several mechanisms through which body mass influences endurance running performance, and (3) suggest possible ways in which body mass might be categorized in endurance running events.
Journal Title
Current Sports Medicine Reports
Journal ISSN
1537-8918
Volume
17
Issue
5
First Page
159
Last Page
162
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000481
Comments
Thousands of endurance running events are held each year in the United States, and most of them use age and sex categories to account for documented effects of those factors on running performance. However, most running events do not provide categories of body mass, despite abundant evidence that it, too, dramatically influences endurance running performance. The purposes of this article are to (1) discuss how body mass affects endurance running performance, (2) explain several mechanisms through which body mass influences endurance running performance, and (3) suggest possible ways in which body mass might be categorized in endurance running events.