Participation and performance trends of East-African runners in Swiss half-marathons and marathons held between 2000 and 2010

Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology - 2013
Marco Cribari1, Christoph Alexander Rüst1, Thomas Rosemann1, Vincent Onywera2, Romuald Lepers3, Beat Knechtle1,4
1Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
2Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
3INSERM U1093, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
4Facharzt FMH für Allgemeinmedizin, Gallen, Switzerland

Tóm tắt

Abstract Background This study examined the changes in participation, performance and age of East African runners competing in half-marathons and marathons held in Switzerland between 2000 and 2010. Methods Race times, sex, age and origin of East African versus Non-African finishers of half-marathon and marathon finishers were analyzed. Results Across time, the number of Kenyan and Ethiopian finishers remained stable (P > 0.05) while the number of Non-African finishers increased for both women and men in both half-marathons and marathons (P < 0.05). In half-marathons, the top ten African women (71 ± 1.4 min) and top three (62.3 ± 0.6 min) and top ten (62.8 ± 0.4 min) African men were faster than their Non-African counterparts (P < 0.05). In marathons, however, there was no difference in race times between the top three African men (130.0 ± 0.0 min) and women (151.7 ± 2.5 min) compared to Non-African men (129.0 ± 1.0 min) and women (150.7 ± 1.2 min) (P > 0.05). In half-marathons and marathons was no difference in age between the best Non-African and the best African runners (P > 0.05). Conclusions During the last decade in Switzerland, the participation of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners in half- and full- marathons remained stable. In marathons there was no difference in age and performance between the top African and the top Non-African runners. Regarding half-marathons, the top African runners were faster but not younger than the top Non-African runners. Future insight should be gained by comparing the present results with participation, performance and age trends for East African runners competing in marathons held in larger countries.

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Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology

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