Higher Prevalence of Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Triple Iron Ultra-Triathletes Than Reported for Ironman Triathletes

In a recent study of male and female ultra-marathoners in a 161-km ultra-marathon, the prevalence of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) was higher than reported for marathoners. Regarding triathletes, the prevalence of EAH has been investigated in Ironman triathletes, but not in Triple Iron ultra-triathletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of EAH in male ultra-triathletes competing in a Triple Iron ultra-triathlon over 11.4 km swimming, 540 km cycling, and 126.6 km running. Changes in body mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, total body water, haematocrit, plasma volume, plasma sodium concentration ([Na+]) and urine specific gravity were determined in 31 male athletes with (means +/- standard deviation) 42.1 +/- 8.1 years of age, 77.0 +/- 7.0 kg body mass, 1.78 +/- 0.06 m body height and a BMI of 24.3 +/- 1.7 kg/m(2) in the 'Triple Iron Triathlon Germany'. Of the 31 finishers, eight athletes (26%) developed asymptomatic EAH. Body mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and haematocrit decreased, plasma volume increased (P < 0.05), plasma [Na+], total body water and urine specific gravity remained stable. The decrease in body mass was related to both the decrease in fat mass and skeletal muscle mass (P < 0.05), but was not related to overall race time, the change in plasma [Na+], post-race plasma [Na+], or urine specific gravity. The prevalence of EAH was higher in these Triple Iron ultra-triathletes compared to existing reports on Ironman triathletes. Body fluid homeostasis remained stable in these ultra-triathletes although body mass decreased.