Opinion – On the Run: Study shows the effect of lack of training on the performance of marathon athletes

Runners are often obsessed with data. We recorded time, average speed, number of steps per minute, altimetry of the course, maximum and average heart rate. This is possible thanks to the small computers that we wear on our wrists and that we call a watch. Cell phones and other electronic devices complete the arsenal of technology accessible to professional and amateur athletes.

This mountain of data is processed and stored by sports applications that, in turn, make the information available to universities and research centers, generating real knowledge about human behavior and physiology.

A recent example comes from Ireland. Researchers at University College Dublin analyzed data from 292,323 amateur runners who completed at least one marathon between 2014 and 2017. They wanted to find out whether missing training during the preparation phase compromised performance on race day. For this, they used information collected by the Strava app, one of the most popular on the market.

Marathon training cycles vary between 12 and 16 weeks, depending on the runner’s physical condition and availability. For the study, they assessed how often athletes trained for at least 10 weeks before the race.

With the marathon results of each runner, the researchers calculated the average time of those who missed training days, and compared with the average time of athletes who had an interruption in their cycle of preparation for the marathon. With this, they are able to estimate the impact of the lack of training on the final result.

On average, athletes who missed a week or more of training completed the race with times between 5% and 8% higher than runners who managed to maintain their training routine more rigorously. That’s 12-20 minutes more in a 4-hour run. It’s no small thing. It is important to remember that this percentage varies according to the gender, age group and running style of each participant.

Generally speaking, men feel the negative effects of missing workouts more than women. The same goes for faster athletes compared to more casual runners.

The survey also showed that missing training days within a marathon cycle is common. Of the nearly 300,000 athletes analyzed, half stopped training for up to six days in a row during the weeks leading up to the race. Losses longer than a week are less frequent.

According to the study, women ran the marathon in an average time of 4h24min. The men ran the same distance in approximately 4 hours.