Abstract
In endurance running, where fluid and nutritional support is not always readily available, the carriage of water and nutrition is essential. To compare the economy and physiological demands of different carriage systems, 12 recreational runners (mean age 22.8 ± 2.2 years, body mass index 24.5 ± 1.8 kg m−2, VO2max 50.4 ± 5.3 ml kg−1 min−1), completed four running tests, each of 60-min duration at individual running speeds (mean running speed 9.5 ± 1.1 km h−1) on a motorized treadmill, after an initial exercise test. Either no load was carried (control) or loads of 1.0 kg, in a handheld water bottle, waist belt, or backpack. Economy was assessed by means of energy cost (CR), oxygen cost (O2 cost), heart rate (HR), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). CR [F(2,20) = 37.74, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.79], O2 cost [F(2,20) = 37.98, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.79], HR [F(2,18) = 165.62, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.95], and RPE [F(2,18) = 165.62, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.95] increased over time, but no significant differences were found between the systems. Carrying a handheld water bottle, waist belt, or backpack, weighing 1.0 kg, during a 60-min run exhibited similar physiological changes. Runners’ choice may be guided by personal preference in the absence of differences in economy (CR, O2 cost, HR, and RPE).
Highlights
Running is a popular sport and interest and participation has grown over the last few decades (Ahmadyar et al, 2015; Scheer, 2019; Vitti et al, 2019), especially in trail, road, and ultra-endurance running (Scheer et al, 2020a)
Our aim was to compare the impact of the carriage condition on running economy (RE), cardiovascular effort, lactate, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and we hypothesized that economy would deteriorate with increasing running time among all carriage systems and that the waist belt and backpack would be more economic compared to the handheld water bottle due to the proximity of the load being close to the center of mass
Our results showed that economy deteriorated over time across all systems; no one single system was more economic, suggesting that during a 60-min run, at submaximal running speed, with a load of 1.0 kg the choice of carriage system has no significant influence on economy, heart rate (HR), lactate, or RPE
Summary
Running is a popular sport and interest and participation has grown over the last few decades (Ahmadyar et al, 2015; Scheer, 2019; Vitti et al, 2019), especially in trail, road, and ultra-endurance running (Scheer et al, 2020a). For smaller and lighter loads or during shorter running distances, handheld water bottles or waist belts are often used (Vincent et al, 2018) These carriage systems are commonly reviewed in popular running magazines, but scientific data of the optimal choice of carrying extra weight in runners are still scarce, with the majority of studies pertaining to the military population, hikers, or walkers (Knapik et al, 1996; Simpson et al, 2017). Studies on these populations showed that load position may influence energy expenditure (Lloyd and Cooke, 2000; Hudson et al, 2018), suggesting that load close to the center of mass may be the most effective way of carrying load, especially when walking (Knapik et al, 1996; Abe et al, 2004; Hudson et al, 2018)
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