A paradigm for identifying ability in competition: The association between anthropometry, training and equipment with race times in male long-distance inline skaters - the ‘Inline One Eleven’

Purpose. The association between anthropometric and training characteristics on an athlete’s performance has been investigated in swimmers, cyclists and runners, but not in inline skaters. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anthropometry, pre race preparation and equipment in the finishers of the longest inline race in Europe, the ‘Inline One eleven’ over 111 km in Switzerland. Basic procedures. We investigated the association of anthropometry, training, and equipment variables with race times in 84 male ultraendurance inline skaters using bi- and multivariate analysis. Main findings. In the multivariate analysis, percent body fat, duration per training unit, and personal best time in the ‘Inline One eleven’ was related to the race time for all finishers. Out of the 84 finishers, 58 had already finished an ‘Inline One eleven’ while 26 participated for the first time. Speed in training and the kind of skates worn were related to race times of the 26 inexperienced finishers. The inexperienced finishers skating with custom made skates were significantly faster with 229.1 (12.7) min compared to inexperienced finishers using ordinary skates finishing within 290.8 (35.4) min ( p < 0.001). For experienced inliners, body mass, the sum of skin-folds and percent body fat correlated to race time. Conclusions. We assume that inexperienced athletes in ultra-endurance skating need time to gain the experience necessary in choosing the correct equipment and doing the training in order to successfully finish a long-distance inline race. Experienced inliners can only improve race performance in an ultra-endurance inline race such as the ‘Inline One eleven’ through a reduction of their body fat

What influences race performance in male open-water ultra-endurance swimmers: anthropometry or training?

We investigated the relationship between selected variables of anthropometry and training with race performance during a 26.4 km open-water ultra-endurance swim at 23 °C in male master ultra-swimmers. Basic procedures. Fifteen non-professional male open-water ultra-endurance swimmers who were (mean ± SD) 40.0 (8.2) years of age with 83.7 (10.3) kg body mass, 1.80 (0.08) m body height and a BMI of 25.5 (2.5) kg/m2 finished the race within the time limit. Body mass, percent body fat, thickness of 7 skin folds, body height, length of arm, and length of leg were measured prior to race. The number of years as active swimmer, average weekly training volume in hours and kilometres and average speed in training were recorded. The variables were then correlated to total race time. Main findings. Study participants had mean finish times of 551 (100) min and an average speed of 3.0 (0.5) km/h. Speed in swimming during training was the only variable related to total race time (r = –0.66, p = 0.0037) whereas none of the other investigated variables showed an association. Conclusions. We conclude that anthropometry was not related to race performance in these male ultra-endurance swimmers whereas speed in training showed a moderate association with total race time

Swimming in ice cold water

Introduction: We investigated two athletes swimming in 4°C for 23min (1.3km, swimmer 1) and 42min (2.2km, swimmer 2), respectively. Materials and methods: Pre swim, percent body fat was determined; post swim, core temperature was measured. Results: The core temperature of swimmer 2 was: 37.0°C immediately before the start, 32°C 20min after getting out of the water, and 35.5°C 80min after finishing the swim. Conclusion: We assume that the higher skin-fold thickness and body fat of swimmer 2 enabled him to perform longer. In addition to this, mental power and experience in cold water swimming must be considered. In any athlete aiming at swimming in water of less than 5°C, body core temperature and heart rate should be continuously monitored in order to detect a body core temperature below 32°C and arrhythmia to pull the athlete out of the water before life-threatening circumstances occu

Do ultra-runners in a 24-h run really dehydrate?

Background: Loss of body mass during a 24-h run was considered to be a result of dehydration. Aims: We intended to quantify the decrease in body mass as a loss in fat mass or skeletal muscle mass and to quantify the change in hydration status. Methods: Body mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, haematocrit, plasma sodium and urinary specific gravity were measured in 15 ultra-marathoners in a 24-h run. Results: Body mass decreased by 2.2kg (p=0.0009) and fat mass decreased by 0.5kg (p=0.0084). The decrease in body mass correlated to the decrease in fat mass (r=0.72, p=0.0024). Urinary specific gravity increased from 1.012 to 1.022g/mL (p=0.0005). Conclusions: The decrease in body mass and the increase in urinary specific gravity indicate dehydration. The decrease in body mass was correlated to the decrease in fat mass and therefore not only due to dehydratio

Screening of the quantum-confined Stark effect in AlN/GaN nanowire superlattices by Germanium doping

We report on electrostatic screening of polarization-induced internal electric fields in AlN/GaN nanowire heterostructures with Germanium-doped GaN nanodiscs embedded between AlN barriers. The incorporation of Germanium at concentrations above $10^{20}\,\text{cm}^{-3}$ shifts the photoluminescence emission energy of GaN nanodiscs to higher energies accompanied by a decrease of the photoluminescence decay time. At the same time, the thickness-dependent shift in emission energy is significantly reduced. In spite of the high donor concentration a degradation of the photoluminescence properties is not observed.Comment: Manuscript including Supplemental material (15 pages, 5 figures

Predictor variables for half marathon race time in recreational female runners

Anthropometric and training variables were related to half-marathon race time in recreational female runners. Skin-fold thicknesses at various upper body locations were related to training intensity. High running speed in training appears to be important for fast half-marathon race times and may reduce upper body skin-fold thicknesses in recreational female half marathoners

Pre-defined and Optional Staging for the Deployment of Enterprise Systems: a case study and a framework

The effective deployment of enterprise systems has been a major challenge for many organisations. Customising the new system, changing business processes, and integrating multiple information sources are all difficult tasks. As such, they are typically done in carefully planned stages in a process known as phased implementation. Using ideas from Option Theory, this article critiques aspects of phased implementation. One customer relationship management (CRM) project and its phased implementation are described in detail and ten other enterprise system deployments are summarised as a basis for the observation that almost all deployment stages are pre-defined operational steps rather than decision points. However, Option Theory suggests that optional stages, to be used only when risk materialises, should be integral parts of project plans. Although such optional stages are often more valuable than pre-defined stages, the evidence presented in this article shows that they are only rarely utilised. Therefore, a simple framework is presented; it first identifies risks related to the deployment of enterprise systems, then identifies optional stages that can mitigate these risks, and finally compares the costs and benefits of both pre-defined and optional stages