Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Dec 31;7(1):209-22.
doi: 10.3390/nu7010209.

Energy balance of triathletes during an ultra-endurance event

Anna Barrero  1 , Pau Erola  2 , Raúl Bescós  3
Affiliations

Energy balance of triathletes during an ultra-endurance event

Anna Barrero et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The nutritional strategy during an ultra-endurance triathlon (UET) is one of the main concerns of athletes competing in such events. The purpose of this study is to provide a proper characterization of the energy and fluid intake during real competition in male triathletes during a complete UET and to estimate the energy expenditure (EE) and the fluid balance through the race.

Methods: Eleven triathletes performed a UET. All food and drinks ingested during the race were weighed and recorded in order to assess the energy intake (EI) during the race. The EE was estimated from heart rate (HR) recordings during the race, using the individual HR-oxygen uptake (Vo2) regressions developed from three incremental tests on the 50-m swimming pool, cycle ergometer, and running treadmill. Additionally, body mass (BM), total body water (TBW) and intracellular (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW) were assessed before and after the race using a multifrequency bioimpedance device (BIA).

Results: Mean competition time and HR was 755 ± 69 min and 137 ± 6 beats/min, respectively. Mean EI was 3643 ± 1219 kcal and the estimated EE was 11,009 ± 664 kcal. Consequently, athletes showed an energy deficit of 7365 ± 1286 kcal (66.9% ± 11.7%). BM decreased significantly after the race and significant losses of TBW were found. Such losses were more related to a reduction of extracellular fluids than intracellular fluids.

Conclusions: Our results confirm the high energy demands of UET races, which are not compensated by nutrient and fluid intake, resulting in a large energy deficit.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Swimming, cycling, running and overall energy intake and energy expenditure. Data are smallest value, first quartile (Q1), median, third quartile (Q3) and largest value of energy intake and energy expenditure during each stage and overall competition; * Energy expenditure was significantly greater than energy intake (p < 0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Stiefel M., Rüst C., Rosemann T., Knechtle B. A comparison of participation and performance in age-group finishers competing in and qualifying for ironman hawaii. Int. J. Gen. Med. 2013;6:67–77. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Laursen P.B., Rhodes E.C. Factors affecting performance in an ultraendurance triathlon. Sports Med. 2001;31:195–209. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200131030-00004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kimber N., Ross J., Mason S., Speedy D. Energy balance during an ironman triathlon in male and female triathletes. Int. J. Sport Nutr. Exerc. Metab. 2002;12:47–62. - PubMed
    1. Kreider R.B. Physiological considerations of ultraendurance performance. Int. J. Sport Nutr. 1991;1:3–27. - PubMed
    1. Cuddy J., Slivka D., Hailes W., Dumke C., Ruby B. Metabolic profile of the ironman world championships: A case study. Int. J. Sports Physiol. Perform. 2010;5:570–576. - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources