As part of Deca Ultra Iron Italy, various running competitions were also offered, ranging from marathons to 5,500 km ultra-marathons.
As part of the Deca Marathon, 33 laps of 1.3 km had to be run every day.
Read moreAs the only starter and also the only finisher, Beat Knechtle successfully completed the third 10in10 this year.
In the meantime, there was a detailed evaluation of the rankings of the 4 canton marathons, with Beat Knechtle being the fastest of all finishers and receiving an additional finisher’s medal.
Read moreSwimming-induced pulmonary oedema (SIPO) has predominantly been reported in swimmers. However, to date, no review has specifically explored the scientific literature concerning the occurrence and characteristics of SIPO in triathletes. Therefore, this review aims to summarize and discuss the current evidence on SIPO in the context of triathlon. We conducted a narrative review to summarize the current scientific literature on SIPO in triathletes. A structured search of two major databases—PubMed and Scopus—was conducted using free-text terms related to SIPO and triathlon. The search included articles published up to January 2025, with no language restrictions. After removing duplicates and excluding animal or in vitro studies, as well as unrelated articles based on title and abstract screening, a total of 48 relevant publications were included for analysis. The reports on SIPO in triathletes are mainly case reports or case studies on a single athlete or a small number (case series) of triathletes. Most reported cases involved middle-aged women (30 to 60 years) participating in IRONMAN® 70.3 and IRONMAN® triathlons. The prevalence of SIPO in triathletes is reported to be less than 1.5%. Risk factors for SIPO in triathletes are female sex, age over 50 years, hypertension, fish oil consumption, highly trained individuals, competitive exercise, wet suit compression, longer race distances (i.e. IRONMAN® 70.3 or IRONMAN®) and a cold (water) environment. The symptoms and outcome are similar to those observed in swimmers and other aquatic athletes. In summary, the results regarding the prevalence, symptoms and risk factors of SIPO in triathletes are comparable to those in other aquatic athletes. SIPO occurs only in IRONMAN® 70.3 and IRONMAN® races, but has not been reported in the Olympic distance triathlon or triathlons longer than the IRONMAN® race distance.
Read moreThe Schaffhauser Bock Marathon from Schaffhausen to Zurzach Bad took place on the national holiday. Despite a strong headwind, we made good progress on cycle paths, some of which were quite fast.
Read moreIt also went quite quickly thanks to the nice weather and the fact that it was actually downstream despite the many hundreds of meters in altitude.
The Zigerschlitz Marathon on August 3 in Glarus marked the end of the summer marathons.
Read moreA lot of trail, a lot of gravel, a lot of vertical meters and impressive mountains that we were able to see up close.
Sex differences in performance and pacing in triathlon have been studied for IRONMAN triathlons (3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.195 km of running) and ultra-triathlons (i.e. Double-, Triple-, Quintuple- and Deca Iron ultra-triathlons) corresponding to 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x the IRONMAN triathlon distance. However, no study has to date investigated the sex difference in performance and pacing in the longest triathlon held in history, the Triple Deca Iron ultra-triathlon covering 114 km of swimming, 5,400 km of cycling and 1,266 km of running. A total of 14 triathletes (10 men and four women) competed in the 2024 Triple Deca Ultra Triathlon in Desenzano del Garda, with four men and three women officially finishing the race within the time limit. The data were analyzed to investigate performance differences across disciplines (i.e. swimming, cycling, and running), pacing strategies and sex differences. Variability was assessed using each discipline’s coefficient of variation (CV). The relation-ships between CV and overall rankings were examined using linear regression analysis. Men were faster in swimming (12.4%), cycling (24.8%) and running (8.5%). Cycling showed the greatest pacing variability, while running exhibited steadier pacing, with more consistent athletes performing better overall, reflecting the unique endurance challenges of this segment. Overall, men were faster than women in all split disciplines, with the highest sex difference in cycling and the smallest in running. The analysis revealed significant differences in both cycling and running times among athletes. The variability in cycling times indicates diverse pacing strategies and endurance levels, while the running times further highlight the individual performance dynamics of the athletes. The results illustrate how variability in pacing affects cumulative performance and final rankings.
Read moreLifelong endurance exercise is generally associated with cardiovascular health benefits. However, recent studies suggest that prolonged high-volume training may contribute to coronary atherosclerosis, even in athletes with low traditional cardiovascular risk. This case report aims to explore the cardiovascular status of a master endurance athlete with an exceptionally high lifetime training volume, in light of recent concerns raised in the literature. We present the case of a 60-year-old recreational male marathon runner with no history of cardiovascular disease, who completed over 500 marathons between the ages of 30 and 60 years, covering ⁓127 000-km running. In 2024 alone, he completed 60 marathons. Cardiovascular evaluation included clinical risk assessment and coronary computed tomography angiography (CTCA). The runner was asymptomatic, had a low ESC-SCORE2 (3.3%), a favorable lipid profile, and normal levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and lipoprotein (a). CTCA revealed no evidence of calcified, mixed, or non-calcified coronary plaques. This case highlights that some master athletes may demonstrate resilience to coronary atherosclerosis despite decades of high training volume. In low-risk individuals, prolonged endurance training alone may not necessarily lead to coronary artery disease, emphasizing the need for individualized cardiovascular screening strategies.
Read moreSuicide is one of the leading causes of premature death. Prevalence of suicidal thoughts in the general adult population is approximately 4%, with lifetime prevalence of 5.6%, and suicidal attempts of 2.7%. No data are available on endurance runners (ER) and ultra-endurance runners (UER). Prospective cohort study of ER (distance of ≥21.1 km-42.2 km) and UER (≥42.2 km), collecting self-reported data on biometrics, social, psychological, medical, and training history. Suicidal risk was assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and open questions. Statistical analysis included descriptive, predictive techniques, and regression analysis. A total of N.=601 runners participated in the study (female N.=222; male N.=379; mean age [standard deviation (SD)] 42.8 (10.1) years). Suicidal thoughts were present in 8.0%, with a lifetime prevalence of 14.1% (P<0.001). Previous suicidal attempts occurred in 2%. Associated factors for suicidal thoughts included previous diagnosis of depression (P<0.001), anxiety (P=0.015), age (P=0.013), and participating in fewer (<9) competitions per year (P=0.026). Associated factors of lifetime risk of suicidal thoughts included previous diagnoses of depression (P<0.001) and age (P=0.015). Runners aged less <30 years of age presented with a higher risk of suicide (P<0.001) than older runners. Associated factors for previous suicidal attempts included previous diagnosis of depression (P=0.01) and stress (P=0.028). We present novel data on prevalence of suicidal thoughts in ER/UER, which were 2-2.5-fold higher than in the general population. Creating awareness among athletes, families, coaches, medical teams, and race organizers and providing education, screening and access to appropriate support are important to reduce the burden of suicide in this sport.
Read moreOn Sunday, July 27 - the day after the Uristier Marathon - the Sonnenstube Schweiz Marathon took place in Ticino.
After fleeing the wet canton of Uri, we literally found the sun room in Ticino with temperatures of up to 31°.
Starting in Tenero, we first had to run a loop in the Magadino plain, then back to Tenero and then along Lake Maggiore via Minusio and Muralto to Locarno. In contrast to the canton of Uri, the marathon in Ticino had practically no elevation gain and the route was much faster with 100% asphalt.
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