Training and bioenergetic characteristics in elite male and female Kenyan runners

Purpose: This study compares the training characteristics and the physical profiles of top-class male and female Kenyan long-distance runners. Method: The subjects were 20 elite Kenyan runners: 13 men (10-km performance time: 10-km performance time of 28 min, 36 s +/- 18 s) and 7 women (32 min, 32 s +/- 65 s). The male runners were separated into high-speed training runners (HST: N = 6) and low-speed training runners (LST: N = 7) depending on whether they train at speeds equal or higher than those associated with the maximal oxygen uptake (v(V) over dot O-2max). All but one woman were high-speed training runners (female HST: N = 6). Subjects performed an incremental test on a 400-m track to determine (V) over dot O-2max, v(V) over dot O-2max, and the velocity at the lactate threshold (vLT). Results: Within each gender among the HST group, 10-km performance time was inversely correlated with v(V) over dot O-2max (rho = -0.86, P = 0.05, and rho = -0.95, P = 0.03, for men and women, respectively). HST male runners had a higher (V) over dot O-2max, a lower (but not significantly) fraction of v(V) over dot O-2max (F(V) over dot O-2max) at the lactate threshold, and a higher energy cost of running (ECR). Among men, the weekly training distance at v(V) over dot O-2max explained 59% of the variance of v(V) over dot O-2max, and v(V) over dot O-2max explained 52% of the variance of 10-km performance time. Kenyan women had a high (V) over dot O-2max and F(V) over dot O-2max at vLT that was lower than their male FIST counterparts. ECR was not significantly different between genders. Conclusion: The velocity at the (V) over dot O-2max is the main factor predicting the variance of the 10-km performance both in men and women, and high-intensity training contributes to this higher (V) over dot O-2max, among men.