Hvordan påvirkes biologiske markører under transisjon trening fra Olympisk til Ironman distanse triatlon?

Project summary

Triathlon is a demanding endurance sport that consists of swimming, cycling, and running in one continuous competition. The most common distances are sprint (about 25 km), Olympic (51.5 km), half Ironman (113 km), and Ironman (226 km). The transition from Olympic distance to Ironman distance involves a significant increase in both training volume and intensity. Athletes participating in Ironman events have been shown to train over 20 hours per week. Such extensive training can yield good results, but it places a heavy strain on the body and involves risks if recovery and nutrition are not proportional to the workload. This can be seen in various biological markers related to the musculoskeletal system, hormone production, immune function, metabolism, and nutritional status. Failure in these systems can contribute to long-term performance decline and reduced ability to train at high intensity. These are characteristics of overtraining (OTS), which is one of the most feared complications among competitive athletes. What sets OTS apart from ordinary training fatigue is that the decline in performance persists despite several weeks or months of recovery. To prevent such complications, it is important to monitor both training data and biological markers over a longer period. The study is an observational study of Norwegian triathletes from Bergen, where the aim is to examine changes in biological markers and training data in the period from July 2021 to December 2022. The project aims to explore the relationship between training load resulting from the transition from Olympic distance to Ironman and changes in selected biological markers that may be related to training response and recovery. The study seeks to investigate how the body adapts, and how this knowledge can contribute to a better understanding of recovery, injury prevention, and performance optimization.