Authored by Christopher Myers*
Abstract
The aim of this study is to establish a relative performance measure that can be used to compare the performance of athletes, contemporaries and/or over time, as well as rank current athletes. Twenty-four (n=24) athletes were selected for analysis. The selection criterion was to have figured at least five times in the top 10 in the IRONMAN© World Championship in Hawaii. The proposed model proposal was able to measure the relative performance of athletes, based on the comparison of their performance with the average performance of their competitors, adjusted by the standard deviation of the average performance of the competitors. The overall performance ranking of the 24 selected athletes was calculated, as well as the ranking by modality (swimming, cycling, and running) for each of the competitors. A relative performance measure, based on effect size, and considering the performance of each athlete in relation to the average performance of the other competitors, can be an additional instrument to evaluate the relative performance of the athletes, as well as to assist coaches and athletes in search of better performance.
List of Abbreviations: ARPI: Adjusted Relative Performance Index; ADRPIF: Adjusted Relative Performance Index Family; ARPIg: Adjusted Relative Performance Index–Global; ARPIs: Adjusted Relative Performance Index–Swimming; ARPIn: Adjusted Relative Performance Index n; ARPIcic: Adjusted Relative Performance Index–Cycling; ARPIrun: Adjusted Relative Performance Index–Running; ARPIcor: Adjusted Relative Performance Index–Run Stage; Rcor: Run Correlation; CBScic: Correlations Between Swimming and Cycling; CBCrun: Correlations Between Cycling and Running
Introduction
Measurement of performance in sports practice is critical to performance monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. Performance improvement is the result of a summation of aspects, including technological innovations, specific training, changes in nutritional strategy, in addition to other possible variables Glazier 2017 [1]. In the case of elite athletes, sports performance is particularly complex and multifactorial [2]. Amongst triathlon races, even considering a race performed on the same course, there may be many differences, depending on the current, elevation profile, climate, among other aspects [3]. Thus, although the distances are typically consistent in races of the same type, the elevation profile, conditions of the sea, river or lake, can vary greatly from one race to another. Race terrain diversity also occurs between races, with the swim held in the pool or open water bodies of water in rivers, lakes, or oceans; cycling and running are completed on the smooth road surface or off-road on trails. The elevation profiles of the cycling and running segments in triathlon can vary immensely between races [3].
Proposing a methodology for measuring an athlete’s relative performance against his competitive group can be an interesting proposition, with important practical applications. The advantage of measuring the relative performance is the ability to measure the relative performance of athletes over the years, with a more accurate measure of comparison, taking into account not only the final position of the athlete but the general behavior of the same with other competitors. It is worth mentioning that, to date, there are no records of studies in the literature with proposals for similar models of relative performance analysis in sport. Thus, some important issues can be considered in the search for measures or models that allow the comparison of athletes’ performance over time and can make the necessary adjustments so that such comparisons may be possible. To elucidate these problems, this paper proposes a model to assess relative performance, able to make the basic settings required for the comparison of athletes at different times in different trials, using this methodology. For this purpose, the IRONMAN© triathlon world championship will be used,although this model can be applied to other sports that have their results measured by time,such as running (cycling, swimming, etc.).A first effort to find a measure of relative performance in triathlon was made by Pandeló Jr & Azevedo in which the authors established a relative performance model in triathlon events, but only based on the time difference between athletes. This study incorporates a measure of performance analysis in terms of effect size, presenting an alternative methodology, and further advancing the concept of relative performance.
Literature Revision
Triathlon and performance
Triathlon characterization
Triathlon is a multisport activity, consisting of three disciplines, held in consecutive order. Triathlons traditionally start with swimming, followed by cycling, and ending with a run; however, there can be variations to the order of events. There are many types of triathlons races of varying distances ranging from the short sprint distance, to longer Olympic, long half IRONMAN©, and ultra- IRONMAN© distance (Table 1). For athletes aiming to push the limits of their endurance even farther than the IRONMAN© distance, the Ultraman race covers 515 km, divided into three stages over three days “IRONMAN© is the trademark name for the long and ultradistance races, which started at Oahu, Hawaii, in 1978. It’s a longlasting triathlon race. With few exceptions, the race consists of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km cycling stage, and a run of approximately 42.2 km (length of a marathon). The race must be made within 17 hours “Pandelo Jr & Azevedo, 2016, as the regulation of race (www. ironman.com/triathlon/pages/resources/rules-and-regulations. aspx). However, professional athletes (top 10) currently complete the race with an average time of eight hours. It is worth mentioning that in 1981, such time was close to 10 hours and 30 minutes. This example shows the extent of the reduction of time over the last few decades due to increases in technology and exercise science. The IRONMAN© World Championship is held at Kona, on the Big Island, in the state of Hawaii, in the United States of America. The event takes place in October, and participation, both for amateurs and professionals, takes place by qualification, through ranking in performance of the function in other stages of the circuit of IRONMAN©. Thus, the race in question adds the best professional and amateur athletes’ inactivity [4,5].
Performance
Some studies have shown the complexity of evaluating performance, especially if considered multifactorial aspects involved [6,7]. Thus, the performance can be thought of as a mathematical function in which the dependent variable (performance), is seen as a function of training, nutrition, recovery, among other factors. [1] Made an interesting attempt to understand performance a little more. Considering the multiple facets involved in the search for a unified model of analysis, the performance is viewed from a multifactorial perspective that impacts physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and nutrition. This model shows the interdependence of these factors. Previously,[7] analyzed physiological stress modulated by several factors, including and environmental conditions. In this study, the multifactorial aspect of triathlon was evident, as well as the importance of nutritional aspects in longterm trials.
Analyzing the performance of triathletes throughout IRONMAN© races, several studies have shown that the time of completion of the races has greatly reduced over the years, probably due to changes in training strategies, nutrition, as well as technological changes [8,9,10,11] Especially in the case of professional athletes, a reduction in race time was found, perhaps due to innovations and advances in various areas, from equipment to nutritional and training strategies [12]. In another interesting study that evaluated results between 2002 and 2015 [13] found that performance improved in all three modalities for professional triathletes, due to several potential factors, including technological changes to changes in training and nutrition strategies. Additionally [14] showed that there is an age at which the best triathlon performance is achieved. The issue is not just age itself, but all the stimuli and adaptations received over years of training, with the potential beneficial effects from this process. It was observed that the age of maximum performance varies according to the distance of the race, being smaller in the Olympic triathlon and higher in long-duration events (like IRONMAN©).
In the study cited above, the authors found an average age of 32.2 ± 1.5 for men and 33, 0 ± 1.6 years for women.In a similar study, they found a mean age of 35.1 ± 3.6 for men and 34 0 ± 4,0 years for women, an IRONMAN©. [15] evaluated the differences in triathlon performance in terms of gender as well as age. This study aimed to analyze the changes in participation and performance trends of older (> 40 years old) triathletes between 1986 and 2010 at the IRONMAN© triathlon in Hawaii, and these authors found a significant difference between the times of athletes, according to gender and age. [16] analyzed, through a mathematical model, the relationship between training and performance, as well as the transfer that can be obtained through training in one modality to another. In this study, the authors found that transfer between modalities (training) was observed between cycling and running (r = 0.56), which may be a strategy to avoid very voluminous running training, with greater muscular impact (in terms of recovery time). However, the correlation of 0.56 is not considered too high, as from 0.70 it could be a considerable value. The authors found that run performance was the key discipline for victories in longterm triathlon trials and occurring transfer between the cycling training for the run, and the relationship between training and performance was significant between run (r = 0.74) and swimming (r = 0.37). Moreover, it was observed that the training of the run seems to have the greatest relationship with the final performance (r = 0.52). A similar analysis was made by Ofoghi 2016 [16], with very similar results in terms of performance, outcome prediction, and key discipline for victory. [17] demonstrated that in shorter duration events, such as the Olympic triathlon (1.5 km swimming; 40 km cycling and 10 km running), the swimming test is of great importance on the result. A good swimming performance will allow the athlete to exit the water with the first group of athletes, thus starting the cycling course as the lead group of competitors, which always for less effort as compared to the second group. The second group must expend excess energy as they attempt to catch the first group of athletes throughout the race. Athletes exiting the water in the first group, cycling within the lead group, will more likely start the run course less physically depleted than the athletes chasing to catch up. This aspect is discussed in the work of Landers 2008 [18], with an interesting approach. The authors concluded that swimming in this kind of evidence is vitally important because of 90% of the winners left in the first block in the male and 70% of the winners left in the first block in the female. One should be careful in interpreting the analyzes of triathlons, concerning nonperception that the triathlon is not simply a test consisting of swimming, cycling, and running, but a composite race of swimming, more cycling, more running. All the steps in the analysis should take these aspects into account, otherwise, the result is undermined. It is not uncommon, an athlete modify your planned pace, adjust your strategy is strategy race, in the middle of the race, depending on various factors, from a better position than expected at an earlier stage to the need for a quick recovery and searching for a rebalancing for subsequent return to a more aggressive pace, in order to avoid premature exhaustion, who could compromise the race Bonacci 2013 [19].
Methods
Ethical procedures
The present study was conducted through a collection of test results from the IRONMAN© World Triathlon Championship, without direct intervention with the athletes. The study was submitted and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of São Paulo. (UNIFESP) (3,006,548), under the number 1258/2018.
Sample
The selection criteria for the study were as follows: male, professional triathlete, and finished the race among the top 10 in at least five editions, consecutive or not, of the IRONMAN© World Triathlon Championship, between the years 1981 and 2017. The total number of individuals selected based on these criteria was 24 professional triathletes.
The definition of the sample constitution criterion took into consideration the intended mathematical and statistical treatment, as well as the restrictions, in terms of the sample required by these techniques [20].
Adjusted relative performance index (IPRA)
Theoretical conceptions
This study proposes a model for measuring the relative performance of athletes. Such a model proposal, in its methodological structure, presents a different format from what is normally considered. There is no intervention, no groups to compare, nor hypothesis testing presented. It is a cross-sectional and retrospective study. The final result of this work is the presentation of the proposal of the relative performance model itself, capable of assisting in the ranking of athletes, as well as, especially in the case of multisport activities, assisting in the training strategy, besides the choice of tests. The analysis was made with data from professional triathletes, male participants at IRONMAN© Hawaii, from 1981 to 2017 that was listed among the TOP 10 in addition to other restrictions presented below. However, the proposed model and analysis could be performed with any other test, in any other sport, provided it has its performance measured by time. The database used, Top IRONMAN© Hawaii Finishers Archive, was from the website www.slowtwich.com. The proposed theoretical model starts from some basic premises (P), established as follows: Q1. The performance on the test was given. The data worked on in this study were the athletes’ race times; P2. It is assumed that because they are professional athletes and selected from the best in the world, they have access to the best training, nutrition, hydration, and equipment strategies.
To read more about this article....Open access Journal of Biostatistics & Biometric Applications
Please follow the URL to access more information about this article
https://irispublishers.com/abba/fulltext/relative-performance-index-in-triathlon.ID.000582.php
To know more about our Journals...Iris Publishers
No comments:
Post a Comment