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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2020; 13(01): 25-31
DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20190132
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Earlier shift in race pacing can predict future performance during a single-effort ultramarathon under sleep deprivation

Allison J Brager
1   Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Behavioral Biology - Silver Spring - MD - United States
,
Sukru Demiral
1   Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Behavioral Biology - Silver Spring - MD - United States
,
John Choynowski
1   Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Behavioral Biology - Silver Spring - MD - United States
,
Jess Kim
1   Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Behavioral Biology - Silver Spring - MD - United States
,
Bill Campbell
2   Academy of Wilderness Medicine, Fellow - Knoxville - TN - United States
,
Vincent F Capaldi
1   Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Behavioral Biology - Silver Spring - MD - United States
,
Guido Simonelli
1   Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Behavioral Biology - Silver Spring - MD - United States
4   Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Hopital du Sacre- Coeur de Montreal, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Ile-de-Montreal, Montreal, Canada
,
Steve Hammer
3   Indian River State College, Biology - Fort Pierce - FL - United States
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Objective We constructed research camps at single-effort ultramarathons (50 and 100 miles) in order to study human endurance capabilities under extreme sleep loss and stress. It takes > 24h, on average, to run 100 miles on minimal sleep, allowing us to construct 24h human performance profiles (HPP).

Methods We collected performance data plotted across time (race splits) and distance (dropout rates; n=257), self-reported sleep and training patterns (n=83), and endpoint data on cardiovascular fitness/adaptation to total sleep deprivation and extreme exercise/stress (n=127).

Results In general, we found that self-reported napping was higher for 100-miler versus 50-miler runners and that ultra-endurance racing may possibly pre-select for early morning risers. We also compared HPPs between the first 50 miles completed by all runners in order to examine amplitude and acrophase differences in performance using a cosinor model. We showed that even though all runners slowed down over time, runners who completed a 100-miler ultramarathon had an earlier acrophase shift in race pace compared to non-finishers.

Discussion We were able to identify time-dependent predictions on overall performance under minimal sleep, warranting the ultramarathon athlete as a unique demographic for future study of sleep and chronobiological relationships in the real world.

Military Medicine - Sleep Deprivation - Circadian Rhythms - Physical Performance


Publication History

Received: 24 October 2019

Accepted: 28 January 2020

Article published online:
09 November 2023

© 2023. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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