A paradigm for identifying ability in competition: The association between anthropometry, training and equipment with race times in male long-distance inline skaters - the ‘Inline One Eleven'

Purpose. the association between anthropometric and training characteristics on an athlete’s performance has been investigated in swimmers, cyclists and runners, but not in inline skaters. the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anthropometry, pre race preparation and equipment in the finishers of the longest inline race in Europe, the ‘Inline One eleven’ over 111 km in Switzerland. Basic procedures. We investigated the association of anthropometry, training, and equipment variables with race times in 84 male ultraendurance inline skaters using biand multivariate analysis. Main findings. In the multivariate analysis, percent body fat, duration per training unit, and personal best time in the ‘Inline One eleven’ was related to the race time for all finishers. Out of the 84 finishers, 58 had already finished an ‘Inline One eleven’ while 26 participated for the first time. Speed in training and the kind of skates worn were related to race times of the 26 inexperienced finishers. The inexperienced finishers skating with custom made skates were significantly faster with 229.1 (12.7) min compared to inexperienced finishers using ordinary skates finishing within 290.8 (35.4) min ( p < 0.001). For experienced inliners, body mass, the sum of skin-folds and percent body fat correlated to race time. Conclusions. We assume that inexperienced athletes in ultra-endurance skating need time to gain the experience necessary in choosing the correct equipment and doing the training in order to successfully finish a long-distance inline race. Experienced inliners can only improve race performance in an ultra-endurance inline race such as the ‘Inline One eleven’ through a reduction of their body fat. key words: skin-fold thickness, body fat, skate shoe, ultra-endurance doi: 10.2478/v10038-011-0016-8 2011, vol. 12 (2), 171 – 179 * corresponding author. Introduction In endurance athletes, the association between anthropometric variables such as body mass, body height, body mass index, the length and girth of extremities, body fat and skin-fold thicknesses have been investigated mainly in the disciplines of swimming, cycling, running and the triathlon. body mass was related to the performance of athletes in a 3,000 m steeplechase [1], marathon [2] and ultra-marathon [3]. Apart from runners, body mass also showed a relationship with performance in cyclists, where road cyclists [4] and off-road cyclists [5, 6] with a lower body mass had an advantage in endurance cycling during climbs. body height seems to be associated with swimming performance, especially in female swimmers, where body height was significantly related to the 100 m freestyle time in girls [7]. In another study, of a 100 yard swim, body height was significantly related to each female swimmer’s major competitive stroke [8]. Regarding the length of the swimming distance, body height was related to both short and long-distances in pool swimmers from 50 m to 800 m [9]. Body mass index and endurance performance were negatively correlated to running speed in a 161-km trail run [10]. The relationship of the circumference of limbs with performance has mainly been investigated in runners. the circumference of the upper arms seemed to be related to performance in ultra-endurance runners [3, 11]. In swimmers, the upper extremity length was a predictor variable of 100 m freestyle performances in both boys and girls [7]. Body fat was related to performance in female marathon runners [12], in male ultra-marathoners [13], in female swimmers [8, 14], and in male Ironman triathletes [15, 16]. The association between skin-fold thicknesses and endurance performance was mainly investigated in runners. the total sum of five skin-fold thicknesses was related to performance in male 10 km runners [17] and the sum of seven skin-folds was correlated to marathon performance times [2]. Apart from anthropometry, the volume and intensity in training seem to influence performance in runners. In marathoners, the longest mileage covered per training session was the best predictor for the successful completion of a marathon [18]. Scrimgeour et al. described that runners training more than 100 km per week had sigb. Knechtle et al., Performance in inline skaters 172 nificantly faster race times over 10 km to 90 km than athletes covering less than 100 km [19]. Bale et al. demonstrated, in 60 male runners, that elite runners with a higher training frequency, higher weekly training volume and longer running experience had better 10 km performance [17]. Hewson and Hopkins showed a correlation between seasonal weekly duration of moderate continuous running for runners specialising in longer distances [20]. Apart from volume, the running intensity in running was also of some importance. According to billat et al., top class marathon runners trained for more total kilometres per week, and at a higher velocity, than runners at a lower level [21]. Peak running velocity in training was highly related to 5 km run times for both male and female athletes [22]. In ultra-endurance swimmers, speed in training was related to race performance in a 26.4 km open-water ultra-swim [23]. In addition to training, pre race experience was also associated with endurance performance, as described for Ironman triathletes. Gulbin and Gaffney described that the previous best performances in an Olympic distance triathlon, coupled with weekly cycling distances and longer training rides, could partially predict overall Ironman race performances [24]. Also, in recent studies investigating ultra-runners, a personal best marathon time was related to performance in a 24 hour run [25] and with race times in both a 100 km ultra-marathon [26] and multi-stage mountain ultra-marathon [27]. the sports discipline of inline speed skating is a special endurance discipline with a technical aspect. Inline skaters use special skates where the number, size and hardness of the wheels can be changed and may affect performance. before each race the athletes assemble their skates as dictated by the race course. Also, these athletes can use ordinary skates or custom made skates, and these skates can be differentiated by the wheel bearing used. Apart from anthropometry, training and pre race experience, the kind of skates might be differently related to performance in long-distance inline skaters. the aim of this study was to investigate the association of anthropometry, training, and equipment variables with race times in the longest inline marathon in Europe, the ‘Inline One eleven’ in Switzerland. Since inline skaters use skates that can be adjusted by the kind of skates (ordinary skates or custom made skates), the kind of wheel bearing (small or large) and the size, number and hardness of wheels, we also took these variables as well as the anthropometry and training variables into consideration. We hypothesized also that in long-distance inliners like in other endurance disciplines, both of anthropometry and training variables would be related to performance. Material and methods The organiser of the ‘Inline One eleven’ in St. Gallen, Switzerland contacted all the participants of the race via a separate newsletter upon joining the 2009 race, the 12th year of this event. The ‘Inline One eleven’ was the longest inline skating race in Europe, covering a total distance of 111 km with a total altitude of 1,400 m to climb. the start of the race was in the heart of the city of St. Gallen, and then went on a large loop of 111 km in the East of Switzerland returning to St. Gallen. Inliners from all over Europe came to St. Gallen for the longest inline race in Europe, held on completely closed routes.