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The University of California at Santa Barbara Institute of Environmental Stress (IES) marathon field studies of 1973–75
Author(s) -
Maron Michael B.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.617.1
Subject(s) - race (biology) , presentation (obstetrics) , competition (biology) , gerontology , psychology , medicine , sociology , gender studies , ecology , surgery , biology
In 1973, the IES, under the direction of Steven M. Horvath, began a series of field studies of marathon runners competing in the Santa Barbara Marathon. As a graduate student of Horvath's, these studies became my doctoral dissertation. The rationale for studying runners under race conditions was based on my belief that runners push themselves much harder when competing than in the lab. Horvath's ready support of the studies likely had its roots in his own graduate training at the Harvard Fatigue Lab, a lab well known for its field studies of workers laboring in extreme environments. This presentation describes the studies of 1973–75, focusing on how the measurements were made. In 1973, blood chemistry and plasma volume shifts were studied in 6 runners before and for 3 days after the race. This was the first modern study to systematically examine the recovery process. In 1974, VO 2 was measured every 3 mi in 2 runners during the race. In 1975, rectal and 5 skin temperatures were determined in the same 2 runners every 1.4 mi of the race. The latter 2 studies were the first to make such measurements under race conditions. The IES marathon studies were significant, because they 1) demonstrated the possibility of making measurements during competition without disrupting performance, 2) enhanced our understanding of human exercise capacity under competitive conditions, and 3) provided new insight into the post‐race recovery process.