Hydration and cooling in elite athletes: relationship with performance, body mass loss and body temperatures during the Doha 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33579722.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2020-103613 and PMC identifier 8606454.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
To characterise hydration, cooling, body mass loss, and core (T<sub>core</sub>) and skin (T<sub>sk</sub>) temperatures during World Athletics Championships in hot-humid conditions. Marathon and race-walk (20 km and 50 km) athletes (n=83, 36 women) completed a pre-race questionnaire. Pre-race and post-race body weight (n=74), T<sub>core</sub> (n=56) and T<sub>sk</sub> (n=49; thermography) were measured. Most athletes (93%) had a pre-planned drinking strategy (electrolytes (83%), carbohydrates (81%)) while ice slurry was less common (11%; p<0.001). More men than women relied on electrolytes and carbohydrates (91%-93% vs 67%-72%, p≤0.029). Drinking strategies were based on personal experience (91%) rather than external sources (p<0.001). Most athletes (80%) planned pre-cooling (ice vests (53%), cold towels (45%), neck collars (21%) and ice slurry (21%)) and/or mid-cooling (93%; head/face dousing (65%) and cold water ingestion (52%)). Menthol usage was negligible (1%-2%). Pre-race T<sub>core</sub> was lower in athletes using ice vests (37.5°C±0.4°C vs 37.8°C±0.3°C, p=0.024). T<sub>core</sub> (pre-race 37.7°C±0.3°C, post-race 39.6°C±0.6°C) was independent of event, ranking or performance (p≥0.225). Pre-race T<sub>sk</sub> was correlated with faster race completion (r=0.32, p=0.046) and was higher in non-finishers (did not finish (DNF); 33.8°C±0.9°C vs 32.6°C±1.4°C, p=0.017). Body mass loss was higher in men than women (-2.8±1.5% vs -1.3±1.6%, p<0.001), although not associated with performance. Most athletes' hydration strategies were pre-planned based on personal experience. Ice vests were the most adopted pre-cooling strategy and the only one minimising T<sub>core</sub>, suggesting that event organisers should be cognisant of logistics (ie, freezers). Dehydration was moderate and unrelated to performance. Pre-race T<sub>sk</sub> was related to performance and DNF, suggesting that T<sub>sk</sub> modulation should be incorporated into pre-race strategies.
Medical subject headings
- Athletes
- Body Temperature