Participation and performance trends of East-African runners in Swiss half-marathons

BACKGROUND: This study examined the changes in participation, performance and age of East African runners competing in half-marathons and marathons held in Switzerland between 2000 and 2010. METHODS: Race times, sex, age and origin of East African versus Non-African finishers of half-marathon and marathon finishers were analyzed. RESULTS: Across time, the number of Kenyan and Ethiopian finishers remained stable (P > 0.05) while the number of Non-African finishers increased for both women and men in both half-marathons and marathons (P < 0.05). In half-marathons, the top ten African women (71 ± 1.4 min) and top three (62.3 ± 0.6 min) and top ten (62.8 ± 0.4 min) African men were faster than their Non-African counterparts (P < 0.05). In marathons, however, there was no difference in race times between the top three African men (130.0 ± 0.0 min) and women (151.7 ± 2.5 min) compared to Non-African men (129.0 ± 1.0 min) and women (150.7 ± 1.2 min) (P > 0.05). In half-marathons and marathons was no difference in age between the best Non-African and the best African runners (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: During the last decade in Switzerland, the participation of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners in halfand fullmarathons remained stable. In marathons there was no difference in age and performance between the top African and the top Non-African runners. Regarding half-marathons, the top African runners were faster but not younger than the top Non-African runners. Future insight should be gained by comparing the present results with participation, performance and age trends for East African runners competing in marathons held in larger countries. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-1847-5-24 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-90697 Published Version Originally published at: Cribari, Marco; Rüst, Christoph A; Rosemann, Thomas; Onywera, Vincent; Lepers, Romuald; Knechtle, Beat (2013). Participation and performance trends of East-African runners in Swiss half-marathons and marathons held between 2000 and 2010. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 5:24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-1847-5-24 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Participation and performance trends of East-African runners in Swiss half-marathons and marathons held between 2000 and 2010 Marco Cribari, Christoph A Rüst, Thomas Rosemann, Vincent Onywera, Romuald Lepers and Beat Knechtle