Recently, our country cheered on local lad Shane Nankervis in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games. While Shane’s success in representing his country is tremendous testament to his dedication to years of grueling training, he was born with several physiological characteristics that have assisted him on his journey to be an international standard athlete. So what are the characteristics that distinguish champion marathon runners, like Shane and local legend Steve Moneghetti from your average Joe who struggles just to jog the 6 km of track around Lake Wendouree?

Most importantly, international standard marathon runners’ possess an extra-ordinary capability to use oxygen to produce energy. Energy can be produced aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobically (without oxygen). Providing carbohydrate from our diet (one of the fuels oxygen uses to produce energy) can be supplied at the rate it is used, aerobic energy production does not result in muscle fatigue. However, if the athlete runs at a pace exceeding his bodies capability to produce energy aerobically, their body has to supplement the required energy needs with anaerobic energy. The consequence of using anaerobic energy is that it results in the formation of “metabolites’, chemical compounds that quickly cause muscle fatigue.

Part of the explanation underlying Shane and Monas international marathon success is that their muscles have the potential to produce aerobic energy at twice the rate of healthy sedentary individuals of the same age. Therefore they can run at far greater speeds before their bodies have to supplement the energy required with fatigue inducing anaerobic energy. The physiological explanation for their superior aerobic capability is attributed to two major traits. First, they possess larger or more powerful hearts (complemented by an elastic and extensive network of blood vessels) capable of pumping large amounts of oxygen-rich blood to their exercising muscles.

To view the rest of the article, please click here: Marathon_Runners (PDF, 79Kb)