Applied physiology of marathon running.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing physiological concepts without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 3890068 · doi:10.2165/00007256-198502020-00002
What was done
Narrative review synthesizing the physiological determinants of marathon performance, focusing on aerobic capacity (VO2 max), running economy, fractional utilization of VO2 max at race pace, anaerobic threshold, muscle substrate utilization, and endurance training adaptations.
What was found
The abstract reports no specific numerical values, effect sizes, or statistical test results. It describes that VO2 max, running economy (e.g., oxygen cost at 15 km/h), and fractional VO2 max utilization collectively explain nearly all variation in marathon performance. The anaerobic threshold is identified as having the highest individual predictive power for performance. Marathon runners also exhibit higher rates of fat turnover at high exercise intensities compared to non-runners, sparing limited carbohydrate stores.
Why it matters
It establishes a classical physiological model linking maximal aerobic capacity, movement economy, and fuel substrate kinetics to explain distance running performance and training limitations.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review rather than a systematic review or primary trial, providing no methodology, study counts, or quantitative data. Genetic influences and training volume ceilings are discussed conceptually without reported empirical bounds.
Cited by
- supports Running a marathon in under two-and-a-half hours burns approximately 70% to 80% carbohydrates as fuel.