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Relationship of critical velocity to marathon running performance

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European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the critical velocity (CV) test for prediction of marathon running performance. Twelve subjects [mean age (SD) = 29 (4) years; mean body mass = 63 (13) kg] were tested for CV and completed the 1994 New York City Marathon. The CV (m · s−1) was determined from times to exhaustion at four treadmill running velocities. In addition, peak oxygen consumption ( O 2 peak; ml · kg−1 · min−1) and ventilatory threshold (Thvent) were determined from an incremental treadmill test. The Thvent was calculated using bi-segmental linear regression and was expressed as the velocity (m · s−1) at Thvent. Separate simple linear regression analyses showed that marathon time [MT; mean (SD) = 231.9 (27.4) min] correlated more highly with CV [MT = 445.3 – 50.3 (CV); r 2 = 0.76, SEE = 14.1 min] than either O2peak [MT = 390.7 – 2.7 (O2peak); r 2 = 0.51, SEE = 20.1 min] or Thvent [MT = 353.5 – 30.1 (Thvent) r 2= 0.28, SEE = 27.4 min]. A stepwise regression analysis resulted in CV (entered first) and Thvent being included in the prediction equation [MT = 443.5 – 78.9 (CV) + 34.3 (Thvent), R 2 = 0.88, SEE = 10.7 min], while O2peak was not included. These preliminary data indicate that the CV test may be an attractive field test for assessing marathon performance capabilities.

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Accepted: 5 September 1996

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Florence, Sl., Weir, J. Relationship of critical velocity to marathon running performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 75, 274–278 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004210050160

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004210050160

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