Studies aimed at clarifying the superior performance of African runners have only been undertaken on athletes of East and South African origin (1, 2). The physiological responses to exercise in North African athletes remain poorly understood; therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the physiological responses in North African and European Caucasian runners at different velocities. Methods: Eight North African (29.9 ± 6.6 years and 31.2 ± 1.1 min 10-km race time) and fourteen European (27.8 ± 6.4 years and 31.7 ± 1.4 min) middle- and long-distance high level runners participated in this study. All subjects completed a maximal incremental running test at 1% slope on a treadmill, starting at 9 km/h without previous warm up. The velocity increased by 1.5 km/h every 4 minutes until exhaustion, with 1 minute of recovery between stages. During the test, physiological and biomechanical parameters and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed. Results: North African runners presented lower values in the respiratory exchange ratio at 16.5 km/h and 18 km/h and also a lower RPE at 18 km/h (P<0.05). However, European runners showed a lower oxygen uptake and a higher propulsive subphase during the stance phase of the gait cycle at 19.5 km/h (P<0.05). Discussion: The present study provides evidence that North African athletes have an enhanced fat oxidation capacity and a lower perceived exertion compared to European runners, which implies an advantage for long distance running (2, 3). On the other hand, European athletes displayed a lower energy cost of running probably due to their better biomechanical running pattern. Thus, the observed differences would be compensated, explaining why both groups were of the same athletic level despite the observed physiological and psychological advantages of North African runners.
© Copyright 2012 17th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Bruges, 4. -7. July 2012. Julkaistu Tekijä Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään. / Kääntänyt https://www.DeepL.com/Translator