Age-related changes in ultra-triathlon performances

Abstract

Background: The age-related decline in performance has been investigated in swimmers, runners and triathletes. No study has investigated the age-related performance decline in ultra-triathletes. The purpose of this study was to analyse the age-related declines in swimming, cycling, running and overall race time for both Triple Iron ultra-triathlon (11.4-km swimming, 540-km cycling and 126.6-km running) and Deca Iron ultra-triathlon (38-km swimming, 1,800-km cycling and 420-km running).

Methods: The age and performances of 423 male Triple Iron ultra-triathletes and 119 male Deca Iron ultra-triathletes were analysed from 1992 to 2010 using regression analyses and ANOVA.

Results: The mean age of the finishers was significantly higher for Deca Iron ultra-triathletes (41.3 ± 3.1 years) compared to a Triple Iron ultra-triathletes (38.5 ± 3.3 years) (P < 0.05). For both ultra-distances, the fastest overall race times were achieved between the ages of 25 and 44 years. Deca Iron ultra-triathletes achieved the same level of performance in swimming and cycling between 25 and 54 years of age.

Conclusions: The magnitudes of age-related declines in performance in the three disciplines of ultra-triathlon differ slightly between Triple and Deca Iron ultra-triathlon. Although the ages of Triple Iron ultra-triathletes were on average younger compared to Deca Iron ultra-triathletes, the fastest race times were achieved between 25 and 44 years for both distances. Further studies should investigate the motivation and training of ultra-triathletes to gain better insights in ultra-triathlon performance.

Figure 1

Ages of the winners both in the Triple and Deca Iron triathlons. Covering from 1992 to 2010 (A). Mean (±SD) age of the finishers in the Triple and Deca Iron triathlons from 1992 to 2010 (B). The years analysed are pooled, and the mean values are shown on the right side of the panels (Total). The dashed lines represent the linear regressions for the Deca Iron triathletes, and the continuous lines represent the linear regressions for the Triple Iron triathletes between 1992 and 2010. For the winners’ age, the gradients were not different from zero for both the Deca (r² = 0.01, P = 0.07, y = −0.141x + 319.9) and Triple Iron triathletes (r² = 0.18, P = 0.07, y = 0.409x − 781.4). In contrast, the age of the finisher gradients increased by 0.4 years per annum (r² = 0.66, P = 0.002, y = 0.426x − 811.1) for the Deca Iron triathletes and by 0.5 years per annum (r² = 0.83, P = 0.0001, y = 0.506x − 974.7) for the Triple Iron triathletes.

Figure 2

Change in total performance at the Triple Iron ultra-triathlon for four ultra-triathletes. The event was held in Lensahn, Germany. These athletes (A, B, C and D) finished at least eight times the event between 1992 and 2010. For all four triathletes, their performances did not significantly change across the age.