Cardiovascular Responses to Spartathlon Running (Spartathlon)

Cardiovascular Effects of Ultramarathon Running

The aim of this study is to examine the cardiovascular effects of ultramarathon running and their relation to performance.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Disorder Heart
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: 246-km running

Detailed Description

The purpose of the study is to determine the changes of cardiovascular morphology and function after an ultramarathon race. 50 entrants to the "Spartathlon 2017" 246-km running race will participate in the study. Cardiac and arterial morphology and function tests will be conducted one day before the race and within 20 minutes of race completion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Greece
  • Thessaloniki, Greece, 546 35
    • Laboratory of Sports Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 67 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Runners at least 18 years old, healthy and sufficiently trained.
• Runners being accepted to participate in the Spartathlon race according to the eligibility criteria (http://www.spartathlon.gr/en/registration-en.html)
• Runners who will volunteer to be examined pre- and post the race

Exclusion Criteria:

• Runners with chronic diseases
• Runners receiving any medication

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Screening
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Athletes; 246-km running	Other: 246-km running; Spartathlon 2017

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change of right ventricular function after one day ultra-marathon running	Echocardiographic study of left ventricular function	before and after 1 day running

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change of left ventricular function after one day ultra-marathon running	Echocardiographic study of left ventricular function	before and after 1 day running
Change of carotid artery function after one day ultra-marathon running	Echocardiographic study of carotid arteries	before and after 1 day running

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Aristotle University Of Thessaloniki
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Evangelia Kouidi, Professor, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Seedhouse EL, Walsh ML, Blaber AP. Heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, and pulmonary function changes associated with an ultraendurance triathlon. Wilderness Environ Med. 2006 Winter;17(4):240-5. doi: 10.1580/pr27-05-r1.1.
• Millet GP, Millet GY. Ultramarathon is an outstanding model for the study of adaptive responses to extreme load and stress. BMC Med. 2012 Jul 19;10:77. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-10-77.
• Cote AT, Phillips AA, Foulds HJ, Charlesworth SA, Bredin SS, Burr JF, Koehle MS, Warburton DE. Sex differences in cardiac function after prolonged strenuous exercise. Clin J Sport Med. 2015 May;25(3):276-83. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000130.
• Jee H, Park J, Oh JG, Lee YH, Shin KA, Kim YJ. Effect of a prolonged endurance marathon on vascular endothelial and inflammation markers in runners with exercise-induced hypertension. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Jun;92(6):513-22. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e31829232db.
• Blaber AP, Walsh ML, Carter JB, Seedhouse EL, Walker VE. Cardiopulmonary physiology and responses of ultramarathon athletes to prolonged exercise. Can J Appl Physiol. 2004 Oct;29(5):544-63. doi: 10.1139/h04-035.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 29, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 30, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 6, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): October 9, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 20, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 19, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Heart Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: 84542

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: No personal details will be shared. Only the results of the measurements will be available

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No