A Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Assessment of the Impact of Ultramarathons on the Health of Middle-aged and Older Amateur Runners - SUPERMARATON 2025 Project

The "Supermarathon 2025" study was designed as a prospective, interdisciplinary field study to assess the impact of extreme physical exertion, such as a 100-kilometer ultramarathon, on the health of individuals aged ≥ 45 years. A multi-module strategy was employed, including assessment of metabolic, circulatory, respiratory, neurological, dental, psychological, and musculoskeletal functions.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Health; The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Glucose; The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Respiratory System; The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Joints and Muscles; The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Cardiovascular System; The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Kidney Function and Water-electrolytes Balance; The Impact of Extreme Physical Exertion on Neurological System
• Intervention / Treatment: Diagnostic test: Blood and urine analysis

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 52

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Poland
  • Gdansk, Poland
    • Medical University of Gdańsk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Amateur ultramarathon runners

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 45 years
• Planned completion of a 100 km race during a specific sporting event
• Willingness to participate in all research procedures included in the project

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refusal to participate in the project
• Occurrence of serious illnesses that may pose a risk to the athlete
• Detection of significant changes in health status during the initial examination that may be associated with complications during exercise (participants were advised against participating in the race and were not included in the study group)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Amateurs runners age 45+; Amateurs runners age 45+ who will participate in a 100km ultramarathon	Diagnostic test: Blood and urine analysis; Blood and urine analysis

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in blood and urine results	NT-proBNP in pg/ml	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Troponin I	Troponin I in ng/L	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Glucose	Glucose in mg/dl	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Insulin	Insulin in ulU/ml	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Hemoglobin A1c	Hemoglobin A1c in %	Blood samples were collected one day before the start
Lipid profile	LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and Triglicerydes in mg/dl	Blood samples were collected one day before the start
Creatinine kinase	Creatinine kinase in U/l	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Uric acid	Uric acid in mg/dl	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Vitamine D3	Vitamine D3 in ng/ml	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Serum iron	serum iron in ug/dl	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Ferritin	Ferritin in ng/ml	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Creatinine	Creatinine in mg/dl	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Sodium	Sodium in mmol/l	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Potassium	Potassium in mmol/l	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
C-reative protein	C-reractive protein in mg/l	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Liver enzymes	alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase in U/L	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Bilirubin	Bilirubin in mg/dl	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Albumin	Albumin in g/l	Blood and urine samples were collected one day before the start and three times after the start - within 1 hour after finishing the race, after 12-15 hours after finishing the race and five days after finishing the race.
Cortisol in saline	Cortisol in saline in ug/dL	Saline smaples were taken one day before the race and within one hour after finishing the race
FSH and LH	FSH and LH	Blood samples were collected one day before the start and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Estradiol	Estradiol in pg/ml	Blood samples were collected one day before the start and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Testosterone	Testosterone in ng/dl	Blood samples were collected one day before the start and within 1 hour after finishing the race
SHGB	SHGB in nmol/l	Blood samples were collected one day before the start and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Cortisole and progestrone	Cortisole and progestrone in ng/ml	Blood samples were collected one day before the start and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Continuous glucose monitoring	continuous glucose monitoring using FS libre	Sensor was placed one day before the race and was measuring glucose for 14 days
Weight	Weight in kilograms	Measurements were taken 1 day before and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Height	Height in cm	Measurements were taken 1 day before the race
Body composition	Body composition using Tanita BC-545N - parameters in %	Measurements have been made 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
ECG	ECG measurements	Measurements have been made 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Echocardiography	Echocardiography	Measurements have been made 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
ECG Holter	ECG Holter	ECG Holter was connected 1 day before the race and was checking heart rate and ecg within following 14 days
Neurological examination	Neurological examination	Examination was performed 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Dental examination	Dental examination	Examination was performed 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Ortophedic examination	Ortophedic examination	Examination was performed 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Spirometry	Spirometry	Examination was performed 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race
Psychological examination	Psychological examination	Examination was performed 1 day before the race and within 1 hour after finishing the race

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Medical University of Gdansk

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Warburton DE, Nicol CW, Bredin SS. Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ. 2006 Mar 14;174(6):801-9. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.051351.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 14, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 26, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 15, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 2, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Investigative Techniques; Specimen Handling; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Punctures; Surgical Procedures, Operative; Diagnostic Techniques, Urological; Clinical Chemistry Tests; Blood Specimen Collection; Urinalysis
• Other Study ID Numbers: KB/186/2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

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