Energy balance and run performance in elite collegiate male and female cross country runners

Elite collegiate endurance runners undergo strenuous training and racing, which expends high amounts of energy. In the absence of adequate energy replacement, in the form of meals or snacks, athletes may risk fatigue, illness, and injury, which may negatively affect run performance. Research is needed to establish the role of proper fueling in endurance running performance. The primary purpose of this thesis was to evaluate potential relationships between energy balance (EB) and run performance among NCAA Division I male and female collegiate cross country runners. During the Fall 2013 season, baseline questionnaires, evaluating anthropometric, health, and run performance times, were completed by 49 UCLA and Stanford cross-country team volunteer subjects, including 19 females and 30 males. Runners then completed three, unannounced 24-hour dietary recalls and submitted a 7-day exercise log to provide information regarding their energy intake and exercise energy expenditure. Food intake information was entered into the Food Processor SQL Nutrition software (ESHA) to obtain mean daily energy intake (EI). The American College of Sports Medicine Compendium of Physical Activities converted runners' exercise training to mean daily exercise energy expenditure. Additionally, runners' total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and energy balance (EB) were determined. Run performance data was collected from baseline questionnaires and from the university cross country teams' Fall 2013 season results web pages. Female subjects' personal best 6k times were converted into 8k male equivalent times to allow for analysis of the sample as a whole. The chi-square, independent sample t-tests, and Pearson correlation tests, were used to determine any relationship between indicators of energy status and cross-country performance times among the male and female endurance runners. No significant relationship was found between the main independent variable (EB) and our dependent variable (Fall 2013 best performance). Yet, in a supplementary analysis, we found that among male endurance runners, weekly mileage was significantly correlated with Fall 2013 performance times. This study points to a need for further research, with larger samples of male and female athletes, to further establish the relationship between indicators of energy balance and run performance among elite endurance runners.