Athletes In Age Group Research Articles

Relative Age Effect: A Systematic Discrimination against Biologically Younger Athletes

Physical differences associated with birth-date among athletes of the same selection year have been described as the Relative Age Effect (RAE). The aim of this study was to examine whether RAE still exists in soccer and running sport disciplines as well as to evaluate its progress among different gender, age, and sport context and if it has an effect on performance. Using official archives of the international sports’ associations (World Athletics-UEFA), birthdates and performance were collected for 7226 athletes (4033 males; 3198 females) who participated in soccer and running events. A chi-square test was used to assess differences between observed and expected birth date distributions. The study showed an over-representation of athletes born in the first quarter of the selection year for both soccer and running events. RAE is more obvious in younger age groups and in sports that require higher explosive speed, strength, power and anaerobic capacity such as soccer and short distance sprints. It was also found that RAE is associated with performance. In conclusion, athletes of younger age groups with greater biological age have a physical advantage in explosive sports (i.e. soccer and short distance running) that probably does not predict their future development.

Wearing face mask during physical exercise

Wearing face mask during physical exercise

The Prevalence of Anxiety, Aggression, and Hostility at Sportswoman: A Study on Boxing

The study of various types of psychological manifestations in women athletes in age groups, in such a primordially masculine form of martial arts, such as boxing, is very relevant and in demand in the study of modern women's sports. This article presents the materials of a study devoted to the identification among women boxers of different age groups of the psychological manifestations of aggressiveness, hostility and their types, as well as personal and situational anxiety during the pre-start period of their sports activities, as well as methods and means of overcoming them by athletes. The aim of the article is the presentation and analysis of the identified indicators of the level of aggressiveness, hostility, personal and situational anxiety in athletes of the studied groups. In the study, we used a survey of athletes, according to the method of Bass-Darki (in the modification of A.K. Osnitsky) and the determination of indices of aggressiveness and hostility, to determine the level of aggressiveness (external manifestation) to specific individuals and the hostility (and its orientation toward the external environment) of the person under study; determination of the degree of personal and situational anxiety of athletes in the pre-launch period, using a test questionnaire according to Ch.D. Spielberger (adapted by V.Yu. Khavkin); extended interviewing method. It was reliably established that in all age groups of athletes (n = 127), different increased levels of aggressiveness were present in 40 (31.50%). A high level of hostility was identified in 39 (30.71%) of all athletes. It was also revealed that all high levels of personal anxiety were identified in 41 (32.28%) athletes of all age groups, and in 46 (36.22%) of all athletes - all high levels of situational anxiety. When conducting extended interviews, it was found that all representatives of different age groups have no aggressiveness directed at rivals. The manifestations of verbal aggression predominate, mainly among athletes of puberty and youthful ages. It was determined that personal and situational anxiety prevails among young athletes with a small sports record and an insufficient level of experience in participating in competitions at various levels. It is noted that the level of aggressiveness, hostility, personal and situational anxiety significantly decreases for all athletes, as their sports experience, professional skill, and competitive experience increase.

Participation and Performance in the Oldest Ultramarathon-Comrades Marathon 1921-2019.

Participation and performance trends have been analyzed for different ultramarathons for limited time periods. This study examined trends in participation and performance in the oldest ultramarathon in the world, the 'Comrades Marathon' (South Africa), during a century (1921-2019). Data from www.ultra-marathon.org on 100 000 unique finishers were analysed using different general linear models. Women represented 4.2% of the total sample (n=4152), and the first women ran this race in 1978. Before the year 1965, the number of participants in the race ranged between 5 and 35 athletes, then started to grow exponentially until mid 90's. An increase in finishers in the 70 s mainly due to an increase in male athletes in age groups 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years was observed (p<0.001). A stable running speed for overall women and men but an improvement in performance for the annual top five women and men were shown (p<0.001). Male runners were faster than female runners for all age groups (p<0.001). While overall performance was not improved across years, the annual top five women and men were able to improve their performance over years.

SEX AND AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN PERFORMANCE IN THE DUATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

ABSTRACT Objective Our study analyses differences in performance between sexes, and changes in performance between age groups at Olympic distance during the ITU Duathlon World Championships, held between 2005 and 2016. During this period, a total of 9,772 duathletes were analysed (6,739 men and 3,033 women). Methods Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine sex- and age-related differences in performance (time, percentage of time and performance ratio) in the first running and cycling legs, the second running leg, and total race for the top 10 male and female athletes in each age group at the Duathlon World Championships. Results The age group with the highest participation, in both male and female categories, was 40-44 years, and it was found that the mean age of female finisher participants across all age groups was 23.5±12. With regards to performance, the best results for total race time and the cycling segment were achieved in the 30-34-year age group, for both male and female athletes. With regards to performance in the first and third segments (running legs), the best times were achieved in the 25-29 and 30-34 age groups, for men and women respectively. Conclusion According to the results of our study, the best results in the professional career of a duathlete are achieved at between 30 and 35 years, therefore the athlete should incorporate this factor into their training plan. Level of evidence III; Retrospective comparative study.

Skin Temperature in Master Long-Distance Runners—Results From a Field Study at the 2018 World Master Athletics Championships

Older people and athletes show impairments in thermoregulation, but this has not yet been studied during a running competition. The aim of the study was to assess (1) whether there are age-related differences in skin temperature during the last stage of a race in well-trained master athletes and (2) to what extent such differences are related to running speed and sex. To investigate this, we used thermography to measure maximum skin temperatures of the head, legs and hands of participants of the 2018 World Master Athletics (WMA) Championships when they were approximately 9,600 m into a 10,000-m road race. Of the 813 runners, 404 were analyzed (142 women, 262 men) including athletes of age groups 35 to 85. All ≥70-year-old athletes completed the race; all 16 non-finishers were younger. The hand temperature was lower than that of the head and legs (p < 0.001). Stepwise regression revealed that head ( = 0.143; p < 0.001) and hand temperature decreased with increasing speed ( = 0.092; p < 0.001). Sex was the most important determinant of leg skin temperature ( = 0.054; p < 0.001), men having higher leg temperatures than women, with a small negative contribution of speed ( increased to 0.069). In conclusion, higher running speed is associated with lower skin temperatures, and leg skin temperature is lower in women than men. The absence of an age effect on skin temperature suggests that there is no impairment in heat dissipation in well-trained older athletes.

Participation and Performance Trends in the Oldest 100-km Ultramarathon in the World.

Participation and performance trends in ultramarathon running have been investigated for large datasets and long period of times with an increase in participants and an improvement in performance. However, the analysis of ultramarathons across many decades is missing. We analyzed these trends for 96,036 athletes (88,286 men and 7750 women) from 67 countries competing between 1956 and 2019 in ‘100 km Lauf Biel’ in Switzerland, the oldest 100-km ultramarathon in the world. More men than women participated in all years. The number of male participants reached a peak at around 1985 and a decline in participation occurred thereafter. Women started competing in 1962. Men were always faster than women and both women and men reduced their race times over years. After about 1985, both overall women and men and both female and male winners were not able to improve race times. For men, athletes from all age groups below the age of 49 years old reached a peak of participation in the 1980s, and showed a decrease since then. Regarding age groups, the decrease first started in age group 20–29 years, followed by 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years. For athletes in age groups 70–79 and 80–89 years, no decrease occurred. For women, age group athletes in age groups 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years increased their participation, whereas age groups 20–29 and 30–39 peaked in the late 1980s and started to decrease or stabilize, respectively. Switzerland, Germany, and France were the countries with the highest numbers of participants throughout the history of the race. In men, race times increased after about 1990 for most nationalities; only runners from Germany seemed to stabilize their performance. In women, runners from Italy, France, and Austria improved their performance over the years. In summary, the analysis of the oldest 100-km ultramarathon in the world showed a decrease in participation and an impairment in performance in the last 60 years. These changes were due to a decrease in the number of male ultramarathoners in around the 1980s, where mainly the number of age group runners younger than 70 years decreased.

Prevalence of foot problems and its related associations in Intellectually Disable (Special Olympic) Indian population

ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of foot problems and its related associations in different regions across India among people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) stratified by age and gender. MethodA survey was done among a randomly chosen sample of 1517 Indian inhabitants (8–50 years of age) residing in different regions of the country under the drive named Healthy Athlete (HA) Fit Feet Screening Program of Special Olympics Bharat. Chi-Square test is used to draw an inference of prevalence of different foot conditions among the population from different age groups and from different genders. ResultsThe percentage of Healthy Athletes with the normal foot in Bhiwadi, Warangal, Ajmer, Bhopal, Guwahati, and Jodhpur was 48.14%, 53.92%, 55.82%, 27.31%, 54.47%, and 76.34%. The percentage of athletes with foot problems from these areas was 53.08%, 46.07%, 44.1%, 72.69%, 45.53%, and 26.35%. Moreover, on analyzing the athletes with foot problems on the basis of the age group, it was found that the middle age group athletes from Bhopal had the highest incidence of more frequent foot problems. Furthermore, on comparing the prevalence of foot problem on basis of gender it was found that female athletes have more prevalence than men. ConclusionThe numerical results indicate the middle age group subjects have statistically significant higher tendencies towards the foot problems in contrast to the lower and the higher age group subjects Also, the prevalence of the foot problems and their related associations in women are higher compared to men.

Investigation of Bone Mineral Density Levels of Adult Individuals in Different Professional Groups, Sedentary People, and the Same Age Group Athletes

This study was carried out to determine how and to what extent the physical activity of sedentary and sportive life affects the bone mineral density (BMD) of individuals in different occupational groups (barbers, industrial workers, drivers, people leading sedentary lives, and athletes), which concern a large part of the society. Barbers, industrial workers, drivers, sedentary people, and athletes working in different occupational groups were included in the study. Femur and forearm (ulna-radius) BMD measurements of 47 individuals were conducted, including 7 drivers and 10 participants from each other professional group. BMD total femur values of the athletes are 1.2664, of industrial workers, is 1.1876, of drivers, is 1.0544, of hairdressers, is 1.0208, and values of sedentary people are found as 1.0080. In the total of BMD Ulna Radius, the values of industry employees are found as 0.685, of athletes as 668, of barbers as 582, and of sedentary people are found to be 0.449. There was a significant difference between the mean BMD values of industrial workers and the barbers, and sedentary people, in favor of industrial workers (p and industrial workers and athletes in forearm BMD value averages (p was found to have a positive effect on BMD, especially with occupational groups requiring physical activation, it was found that sedentary life did not have a positive effect on BMD.

СТАН ПСИХОФІЗІОЛОГІЧНИХ ФУНКЦІЙ У ГАНДБОЛІСТОК ІЗ РІЗНИМ СТАЖЕМ СПОРТИВНОГО ТРЕНУВАННЯ

The aim of the study was to compare the state of psychophysiological functions of highly qualified handball players with different experience of sports training (special training). To determine the state of psychophysiological functions of athletes diagnostic complex "Diagnostics-1" was used (MV Makarenko, VS Lyzogub). In accordance with the purpose of the work, we studied the properties of the nervous system (functional mobility and strength of nervous processes), the efficiency of sensorimotor activity and the dynamics of nervous processes in feedback, the latency of complex response reactions of choice, the accuracy of response to a moving object. Higher psychophysiological status in terms of the strength of nervous processes (both in the feedback mode and during long-term sensorimotor loads in the mode of imposed rhythm) was demonstrated by athletes of the older age group with more experience of sports training. Athletes of older and younger age groups did not differ in the level of functional mobility of nervous processes and accuracy of reaction to a moving object. Therefore, we can assume that athletes with less experience of sports training in the state of these psychophysiological functions have reached the level of athletes of the older age group, ie the level of maximum realization of individual capabilities. The identified differences in the individual-typological properties of the higher parts of the central nervous system in female handball players with different sports experience can have prognostic value and be used to optimize sports improvement in this sport.

IMPROVEMENT OF SKILLS OF TRANSLATION DURING TRANSLATION PRACTICE UNDER THE REAL CONDITIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL DRAUGHTS COMPETITIONS

The authors in the real conditions of international drafts competitions are conducted approbation and perfection in practice skills of translation during realization of translating by the students of the Dnepr state technical university (direction: «Philology»), that gave students possibility to apply in practical activity the knowledge obtained as a result of study of theoretical courses of linguistic disciplines. During the production internship, students systematized and developed speech reactivity and translation memory and ability of future translators to accumulate, transcode and transmit the information they received from their own experience, convinced that the interpreter should be an expert not only in the field of foreign languages but also the field of intercultural communication, should facilitate contact between the parties. In addition, during practice, using various information sources (printed and electronic dictionaries, encyclopedias, Internet resources) and computer programs, students identified the features of translators in the conditions of organizing and conducting international competitions, formed and developed communication skills with children and young people (chess athletes of different age groups) from the checkerboard environment; learned to plan and organize meaningful leisure activities for children from other countries (foreign delegations). This, of course, was an important step in the preparation for further successful professional activity. Thus, translation practice plays a significant role in the professional training of future translators and helps, along with other factors, the process of forming their communicative competence, which provides not only mastering the language as a means of communication, training, self-education, but also provides a free, regulatory and correct and functional and adequate command of all types of speech activity in a foreign language, enabling them, after graduation, to carry out all provided for the translator functional responsibilities.

American Masters Road Running Records-The Performance Gap Between Female and Male Age Group Runners from 5 Km to 6 Days Running.

Recent studies investigating elite and master athletes in pool- and long-distance open-water swimming showed for elite swimmers that the fastest women were able to outperform the fastest men, and for master athletes that elderly women were able to achieve a similar performance to elderly men. The present study investigating age group records in runners from 5 km to 6 days aimed to test this hypothesis for master runners. Data from the American Master Road Running Records were analyzed, for 5 km, 8 km, 10 km, 10 miles, 20 km, half-marathon, 25 km, 30 km, marathon, 50 km, 50 miles, 100 km, 100 miles, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 144 h, for athletes in age groups ranging from 40 to 99 years old. The performance gap between men and women showed higher effects in events lengthening from 5 km to 10 miles (d = 0.617) and lower effects in events lengthening from 12 to 144 h (d = 0.304) running. Both other groups showed similar effects, being 20 km to the marathon (d = 0.607) and 50 km to 100 miles (d = 0.563). The performance gap between men and women showed higher effects in the age groups 85 years and above (d = 0.953) followed by 55 to 69 years (d = 0.633), and lower effects for the age groups 40 to 54 years (d = 0.558) and 70 to 84 years (d = 0.508). In summary, men are faster than women in American road running events, however, the sex gap decreases with increasing age but not with increasing event length.

Physiological, Anthropometric, and Motor Characteristics of Elite Chinese Youth Athletes From Six Different Sports.

Several talent selection programs in elite sport schools are based on motor diagnostics for the purpose of recommending or transferring promising talents to general groups of sports; game sports, combat sports or endurance sports, and to more concrete sports such as gymnastics, skiing, or tennis. However, the predictive value of such testing is unclear. This study evaluated the concurrent validity of physiological performance prerequisites, body dimensions, as well as specific motor performances. The sample consisted of N = 97 youth athletes from all ninth grade classes of a Shanghai Elite Sport school belonging to six different sports including basketball (n = 7), fencing (n = 23), judo (n = 20), swimming (n = 10), table tennis (n = 15), and volleyball (n = 22). The performance diagnosis took place between September 2016 and March 2017, and comprised five physiological measurements of the heart rate at rest, vital capacity, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and hemoglobin concentration in the blood, eighteen anthropometric parameters, and two motor tests on back strength and complex reaction speed. The aim of the study was to investigate whether U15 age group athletes participating in six different sports already at this age show a sport specific anthropometric, motor performance, and physiological profile which is in line with the specific requirements of each of the sports. A discriminant analysis and a Neural Network (Multilayer Perceptron) were used to test whether it is possible to discriminate between athletes of the six sports and to assign each individual of the Under-15 athletes to his own sport on the basis of a unique profile of the morphological, motor, and physiological prerequisites. All diagnostic methods exhibited medium to high validity to discriminate between the six different sports. The relevance of the eighteen body dimensions, five physiological measures, and two motor tests for talent identification was confirmed.

Характеристика фізичних якостей єдиноборців-ветеранів різних вікових груп

Human physical condition, physical qualities and motor skills tend to change significantly with age. There are significant changes in the coordination of movements as well: the accuracy of their execution decreases, the pace and mobility slow down, the reaction speed diminishes, the rate of new motor action development decreases. However, despite large reflection of these aspects in literary sources, it should be noted that there are contradictory opinions on the issues of norms and, especially, the modes of motor activity, as well as the regulation of physical loads, mainly aimed at maintaining the motor coordination abilities of athletes-masters. Objective. To determine changes in the level of physical qualities of single combat athletes of different age groups under the influence of training sessions. Methods. To determine the level of manifestation of physical qualities general preparatory and special exercises performed by single combat athletes were used, who trained three times a week and participated in competitions in accordance with adopted in martial arts age groups. The results of tests were taken from the protocols of control tests at the beginning of the competition period as the most commonly used in determining the level of development of physical qualities in single combat fighters and the most accessible to perform by athletes of different ages. Results. The conducted studies allowed to establish the dynamics of the manifestation of physical qualities of single combat masters in different age periods of veterans’ sports. As a result of the study, it was found that after the cessation of active sports practicing, the level of physical qualities is gradually reduced, but in the studied age periods has occured unevenly. The obtained results indicate gradual decrease of physical fitness indices during the period of studies, which is connected in some cases with an increase in body weight and gradual decrease of the motor potential of athletes-masters.

Changes in Jumping and Throwing Performances in Age-Group Athletes Competing in the European Masters Athletics Championships between 1978 and 2017.

The results of master athletes have been used previously to examine the age-related differences in aerobic capacity, however, less research has been conducted on the variation of jumping and throwing performances with aging. Therefore, the aim of the present study of elite master athletes was to investigate (a) the age-related differences in throwing (i.e., discus, hammer, javelin, and shot put) and jumping events (i.e., high jump, long jump, pole vault, and triple jump) in 5-year age-group intervals from 35–39 to 95–99 years of elite master athletes, and (b) the trends in performance and sex differences. The top eight female and male finalists for each age group and in each event from 20 European Masters Athletics Championships held between 1978 and 2017 were considered. Overall, 13,673 observations from 4726 master athletes were analyzed. For each event separately, a mixed regression model was performed with sex, age group, calendar year, and interaction terms (sex-age group, sex-year) defined as fixed effects. Performances were improving over time with a linear trend overall for each event. Men had better performances as compared to women, (i.e., in triple jump the estimated difference was 2.58 m, p < 0.001). Performances declined with age for each event (i.e., in triple jump, compared with the age group 45–49 years, performance in the age group 35–39 years was 0.98 m better and performance in the age group 85–89 years was 6.24 m worse). The decline of male performances with age was either slower or faster than the decline of female performances depending on age groups and events.

Функциональное состояние спортсменов-гребцов на байдарках (юношей) при моделировании тренировочной деятельности

Purpose: to conduct a comprehensive study of the functional status of athletes (boys) of various age groups specializing in rowing, for the possible subsequent determination of prospects in this sport. Material & Methods: athletes of various age groups (11–12 years old, 13–14 years old, 15–16 years old, 17–18 years old) and sports qualifications were surveyed, in total 95 people, according to our method of measuring the effect of a training action, and also visual-motor hearing and motor reactions, the level of musculo-articular sensitivity and coordination of movements, the power of forced inhalation and exhalation. Results: studies have allowed us to study the functional state of athletes. The optimal structure of sports activities contributes to the improvement of all its components, which in the early stages and due to the age characteristics of athletes, as well as the patterns of development of motor skills do not significantly affect the level of results, but have a great impact on the appearance of the corresponding functional basis, especially in the early age periods realization of individual capabilities. Features of the reaction of the body of athletes are a manifestation of effective individual adaptation to intense and complex stimuli of training and competitive activity. The functional state of athletes is determined by the level of development of various physical qualities, coordination abilities, properties of the nervous system, the optimal combination of which is characteristic of each particular sport and allows you to specifically choose sports specialization. Conclusion: the proposed tests for measuring the effect of the training action, electromyoreflexometry, pneumotachometry and reverse dynamometry are sufficiently informative in sports practice and allow us to determine and evaluate the individual prerequisites for sporting achievements. The obtained parameters of the functional state allow you to identify the individual characteristics of the athlete's body, the possibility of their correction and management of the training process. Conducted comprehensive examinations of the psycho-physiological and functional characteristics of the body of athletes rowers allow you to create methods for assessing the prospects of athletes in their chosen sport.

MANIFESTATIONS OF PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS OF FEMALE ATHLETES PRESENTING DIFFERENT SPORTS

In recent years the issue of premenstrual syndrome, with its variety in somatic and psychological manifestations (both psychosomatics and somatopsychology) has been paid to much attention of gynecologists, endocrinologists and psychologists.Nevertheless, there are only few reports on the study of premenstrual syndrome in female athletes of different age groups, this is especially true for Ukrainian sports medicine. This article presents the results of a longitudinal study on the characteristics of somatic and psychological manifestations of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in female athletes of different age groups and in various sports. The article provides the comparative analysis of the data reported by national and international researchers on this problem; describes the variations in the PMS development in each of the examined age groups. It has been found out based on the analysis of the obtained results, various somatic PMS manifestations are identified in 222 (74.00%) of all athletes, and the psychological PM manifestations are typical for 192 (63.00%) athletes, while combined PMS manifestations with moderately pronounced and significantly pronounced somato-psychological and psycho-somatological manifestations of PMS, were identified in 194 (64.67%) of all female athletes in the three age groups studied. Analysis of the study results has shown the most pronounced PMS manifestations are found in groups of athletes of juvenile and I reproductive age. Thus, among young athletes representing 10 sports, somatic PMS manifestations of PMS were detected in 127 (81.94%) athletes, psychological manifestations were detected in 109 (70.32%) athletes, and combined manifestations – in 111 (71.61%) athletes. 34 (87.18%) athletes of this group demonstrate somatic PMS manifestations, equal shares 29 (74.35%) of athlets have psychological combined PMS manifestations. The data of additional interviewing and the results of the survey directly indicate a significant prevalence of PMS in all types of modern women's sports and in all age groups, being the factor, that significantly decrease in the performance of athletes, both in the competitive and in the training period of their activities.

Jumping and throwing performance in the World Masters’ Athletic Championships 1975-2016

ABSTRACTParticipation and performance of elite age group athletes from 35–39 to 95–99 years competing in World Masters Athletics (WMA) Championships 1975–2016 were examined for throwing (discus, hammer, javelin and shot put) and jumping (high jump, long jump, pole vault and triple jump) events. Overall, 21,723 observations from 8,974 master athletes were analysed. A mixed regression model with sex, age group, calendar year and interactions terms (sex-age group; sex-year) defined as fixed effects was performed for each event separately. Performances over time were increasing overall for each event, with a cubic trend. Compared with women, men had better performances (e.g. in triple jump the estimated difference was 3.378 meters, p < 0.001). However, women improved their performance more than men across calendar years. Performances declined with age for each event (e.g. in triple jump, compared with age group 45–49 years, performance in age group 35–39 years was 1.041 meter better and in age group 85–89 years was 5.342 meter worse). In summary, performance in jumping and throwing events of WMA Championships improved across calendar years, whereas the decline of performance with age was dependent on sex and event.

Analysis of the menstrual cycle in athletes of different age groups in kyokushinkai-karate

Analysis of the menstrual cycle in athletes of different age groups in kyokushinkai-karate

Do Skiers with Similar Race Time but Different Age Pace Similarly in a Cross-Country Ski Marathon?

: Pacing strategies have mainly been investigated for runners, but little is known for cross-country skiers. We investigated the pacing strategies in 105,565 female and male age group athletes competing between 1998 and 2016 in the ‘Engadin Ski Marathon’. This race is the largest cross-country skiing marathon held in Europe covering the exact distance of a marathon. Split times are taken at the time stations 10 km (A), 20 km (B) and 35 km (C). We hypothesized to find a difference in pacing between younger and older athletes with similar race times. We calculated three percentage changes of speed, Change A (100 × (split2 - split1)/split1), Change B (100 × (split3 - split2)/split2) and Change C (100 × (split4 - split3)/split3). The men-to-women ratio was lower in the slower performance groups. In both women and men, the faster groups were more prevalent in the younger age groups and the slower groups in the older age groups; only the < 2 hours group increased speed in Change A. A non-linear variation of change in speed was observed across performance groups in Change B and C. The differences in variation of pacing by performance groups among age groups were trivial. In summary, the findings did not confirm our hypothesis that skiers of different age with similar race time would pace differently. Therefore, sex and performance, not age, should be the main criteria for coaches and skiers in order to optimize the pacing strategy in a cross-country skiing marathon.