Fatigability Compared Men and Women Induced According to the Distance Traveled on an Ultra-marathon in the Mountains

Fatigability Compared Men and Women Induced According to the Distance Traveled on an Ultra-marathon in the Mountains

Acute physiological consequences of ultra-marathon running are still unknown, particularly in women. Some studies have suggested that the proportion of fatigue attributable to peripheral and central mechanisms varies between males and females; however, results are contradictory.

The results from the investigators of the present experiment in two studies conducted in 2009 and 2012 showed that:

• A large part of fatigue induced by a mountain ultra-marathon could be attributed to central fatigue in males and that,
• Females exhibited less peripheral fatigue in the plantar flexors than males did after a 110-km ultra-trail-running race.

According to the literature, there seems to be a plateau in fatigue after 12-15 hours of running.

Thus, the main purpose of the present project is to investigate whether sex differences in neuromuscular fatigue in plantar flexors depend on the distance (> 100 km vs < 60 km).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subject listed in the race "2019 Mont Blanc Ultra Trail"
• Affiliates or beneficiaries of social security scheme
• Signed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subject having been injured in the previous 3 months
• Pregnant woman
• Chronic joint diseases
• Chronic or central neurological pathologies
• Taking neuroactive substances that can alter corticospinal excitability
• Contraindication to experimental procedures including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
• Taking corticosteroids in the previous 3 months