Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of marathon participants across tertiles of race times.
| Race Times: | Slower Tertile | Middle Tertile | Faster Tertile | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of runners | 68 | 69 | 68 | |
| Average race time (SD in minutes) | 6 hrs, 17 min (32) | 5 hrs, 13 min (23) | 3 hrs, 51 min (23) | |
| Age | 41.6 (11) | 39.6 (11) | 37.3 (10) | 0.06 |
| Gender (% male) | 50% | 68% | 69% | 0.03 |
| Ethnicity | 0.40 | |||
| White | 52% | 42% | 57% | |
| Black | 6% | 6% | 0% | |
| Hispanic | 24% | 29% | 29% | |
| Asian | 15% | 16% | 9% | |
| Other | 4% | 7% | 4% | |
| Body-mass index | 25.7 (3.8) | 24.2 (2.9) | 22.8 (2.8) | <0.0001 |
| Previous marathons ever | 47% | 64% | 74% | 0.01 |
| Previous marathons | 0.01 | |||
| 0 | 53% | 36% | 26% | |
| 1 to 5 | 24% | 35% | 26% | |
| > 5 | 24% | 29% | 47% | |
| Training period | 0.06 | |||
| 0 | 7% | 6% | 5% | |
| 1 to 3 months | 15% | 31% | 38% | |
| > 3 months | 78% | 63% | 58% | |
| Reason for running | ||||
| Fun | 79% | 71% | 65% | 0.16 |
| Fitness | 71% | 72% | 68% | 0.82 |
| charity | 16% | 9% | 4% | 0.06 |
| recreational | 25% | 28% | 44% | 0.03 |
| competition | 7% | 13% | 28% | 0.00 |
| Past Medical History | ||||
| hypertension | 10% | 3% | 7% | 0.22 |
| arthritis | 22% | 13% | 4% | 0.01 |
| asthma or COPD | 3% | 1% | 0% | 0.36 |
| Other | 3% | 0% | 1% | 0.36 |
| Prior injuries | 12% | 9% | 13% | 0.69 |
| NSAIDS in last week | 50% | 32% | 34% | 0.06 |
| Prescription Medications | 26% | 16% | 13% | 0.11 |
| Supplements | 44% | 28% | 31% | 0.10 |
| Fuel during Race | ||||
| “Gu” gels | 80% | 81% | 93% | 0.07 |
| Bars | 30% | 19% | 16% | 0.21 |
| nothing | 7% | 9% | 1% | 0.16 |
| Other | 18% | 16% | 9% | 0.29 |
| Caffeine on Race Morning | 50% | 43% | 57% | 0.26 |
| Alcohol in Last Week | 50% | 54% | 57% | 0.69 |
| Part of Running Club | 70% | 77% | 75% | 0.57 |
| Physician Consult Prior to Race | 31% | 19% | 15% | 0.06 |