Durability of Physiological Determinants of Distance‐Running Performance in Warm and Temperate Environments
4 affiliations
- 1School of Human Sciences London Metropolitan University London UK
- 2School of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences University of Hertfordshire Hatfield UK
- 3Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences University of Tsukuba Tsukuba Japan
- 4School of Sport, Exercise, and Health, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences Auckland University of Technology Auckland New Zealand
Abstract
Runners increasingly train and compete in warm conditions, yet it is unclear whether heat stress accelerates the deterioration of the physiological determinants of distance‐running performance during prolonged running. Ten trained runners (7 M; 3 F; 38 ± 11 years; peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak): 56.0 ± 5.7 mL·kg−1·min−1) visited the laboratory on four occasions. In randomized order, participants completed incremental tests to determine the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), V̇O2peak, and end‐test speed in temperate (TEMP; 19°C) and warm (WARM; 30°C; both 40% relative humidity) conditions in a “fresh” state (PRE). Tests were repeated (POST) after 90 min of running in the same condition at 5% Δ between the speed at VT1 (sVT1) and end‐test speed. Running economy was measured at 15‐min intervals throughout. In the rested state, sVT1 was ~7% (~0.8 km·h−1) lower in WARM than TEMP, and declined after prolonged running in both conditions (TEMP: −8.6%; WARM: −11.1%), with no condition × time interaction. V̇O2peak was reduced after prolonged running (TEMP: −4.8%; WARM: −4.0%), with no condition × time interaction. In contrast, running economy deteriorated to a greater extent in WARM (+5.4% vs. +1.7% from 15 to 90 min), and end‐test speed declined more in WARM than TEMP (−12.1% vs. −6.8%). We found no evidence that heat altered the durability of sVT1 and V̇O2peak when intensity was prescribed relative to condition‐specific capacity. However, sVT1 was already lower in WARM before prolonged running, so that after prolonged running it was, on average, 17.1% below the rested value in TEMP.
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BibTeX
@article{hunter2026durability,
title = {{Durability of Physiological Determinants of Distance‐Running Performance in Warm and Temperate Environments}},
author = {Ben Hunter and Naoto Fujii and Ed Maunder and Daniel Muniz‐Pumares},
journal = {Scandinavian Journal of Medicine \& Science in Sports},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/sms.70394},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70394},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Durability of Physiological Determinants of Distance‐Running Performance in Warm and Temperate Environments
AU - Ben Hunter
AU - Naoto Fujii
AU - Ed Maunder
AU - Daniel Muniz‐Pumares
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
DO - 10.1111/sms.70394
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70394
AB - Runners increasingly train and compete in warm conditions, yet it is unclear whether heat stress accelerates the deterioration of the physiological determinants of distance‐running performance during prolonged running. Ten trained runners (7 M; 3 F; 38 ± 11 years; peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak): 56.0 ± 5.7 mL·kg−1·min−1) visited the laboratory on four occasions. In randomized order, participants completed incremental tests to determine the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), V̇O2peak, and end‐test speed in temperate (TEMP; 19°C) and warm (WARM; 30°C; both 40% relative humidity) conditions in a “fresh” state (PRE). Tests were repeated (POST) after 90 min of running in the same condition at 5% Δ between the speed at VT1 (sVT1) and end‐test speed. Running economy was measured at 15‐min intervals throughout. In the rested state, sVT1 was ~7% (~0.8 km·h−1) lower in WARM than TEMP, and declined after prolonged running in both conditions (TEMP: −8.6%; WARM: −11.1%), with no condition × time interaction. V̇O2peak was reduced after prolonged running (TEMP: −4.8%; WARM: −4.0%), with no condition × time interaction. In contrast, running economy deteriorated to a greater extent in WARM (+5.4% vs. +1.7% from 15 to 90 min), and end‐test speed declined more in WARM than TEMP (−12.1% vs. −6.8%). We found no evidence that heat altered the durability of sVT1 and V̇O2peak when intensity was prescribed relative to condition‐specific capacity. However, sVT1 was already lower in WARM before prolonged running, so that after prolonged running it was, on average, 17.1% below the rested value in TEMP.
SN - 0905-7188
SN - 1600-0838
ER -