Ultramarathon Evaluation above 180 km in relation to Peak Age and Performance

Abstract

Background. Ultramarathons with distances over 180 km might lead to different results regarding participation, performance, and age compared to shorter runs of 50 and 100 km. Objective. To evaluate ultramarathons with distances above 180 km in relation to runners’ peak age and performance. Methods. Verification of the quantity of competitions in runs over 180 km by continents in the period 2000 to 2020 and evaluation of the individual results of 13,300 athletes after 2010. Results. Europe stood out with the largest number of organized events, followed by Asia and North America. The age peak performance (PP) in men and women averaged 45 years old with relationship between $\text{sex}\times \text{years}$ ( $F=3.612$ , $p<0.001$ ; ${\eta }^2=0.003$ ). Men accounted for more than 80% of the runners and showed a reduction in PP from 2015 onwards ( $p<0.001$ ). Competitions between 180 and 240 km were the most frequent, particularly after 2016, surpassing the number of marathons over 360 km ( $p<0.001$ ). Men and women showed higher velocity in distances ( $p<0.001$ ) from 180 to 240 km when compared to 241 to 300 k m, 301 to 360 km, and >360 km courses. Conclusions. The decade between 2010 and 2020 showed an increase in the number of Ultramarathon running events. Europe had the highest number. Women had low participation. Performance progression fell, a fact associated with an increase in the number of participants and not specifically related to a decline in athletic performance over the years.