Laufwochenende Brugg

The running weekend in Brugg took place once again from October 23rd to 25th.

With freezing temperatures, persistent rain, and gale-force gusts, there wasn’t much running going on.

Heidi Challenge Edition 2026

The 2026 Heidi Challenge Edition spanned five demanding marathons across Berlin and Brandenburg. The diverse routes—featuring extensive cobblestone sections, minimal asphalt, long stretches of natural trails, challenging root-strewn paths, and moderate elevation gains—made each stage a unique challenge in its own right.

The Berlin city leg offered a great glimpse into the metropolis of Berlin.

Pacing Profiles in Half-Marathon and Marathon Running Based on Performance Level, Sex, and Age: A Narrative Review

Background and Objectives: Pacing behavior has been consistently associated with performance in long-distance running, yet its patterns across different race distances and population subgroups remain insufficiently understood. Therefore, this narrative review synthesizes and critically discusses available evidence on pacing in half-marathon and marathon running, considering both within- and between-race differences, with a particular focus on performance level, sex, and age. Materials and Methods: A structured, non-systematic search was conducted in PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science, with Google Scholar used as a supplementary source. Peer-reviewed English-language full-text studies reporting pacing-related outcomes were included, and findings from 37 studies published up to March 2026 were synthesized narratively. Results: Available observational evidence suggests differences in pacing profiles between race distances, with generally more even pacing in the half-marathon and more positive pacing in the marathon. Performance level showed the strongest association with pacing behavior: faster runners exhibited more stable pacing patterns, whereas slower runners showed greater variability and a more pronounced pace decline. Sex differences appeared more evident in marathon running, where women generally demonstrated more even pacing than men, whereas age-related differences were small and inconsistent. Comparisons between race distances suggest that pacing variability may increase with longer race duration and lower performance level. Conclusions: Overall, performance level showed the most consistent relationship with pacing behavior in long-distance running. In mass-participation events, observed pacing profiles may reflect fatigue-related changes and inaccurate pace selection rather than a deliberate strategy. More even or slightly negative pacing has generally been associated with more favorable performance outcomes, but this should be interpreted as an observed association rather than a direct prescriptive recommendation. The proposed practical reference points should be viewed as tentative, evidence-informed aids for interpreting pacing behavior according to performance level and race distance, while using sex and age as secondary contextual factors.

A 20-year global analysis of elite IRONMAN® performance

To identify the best-performing nationalities and race locations for professional IRONMAN® triathletes, and to explore the best environmental conditions. We collected and analyzed records from 6,848 professional finishers representing 37 countries participating in 54 IRONMAN® race locations between 2002 and 2022. Information extracted includes athlete information (sex, country of origin, race location), performance (hh:mm:ss), and environmental conditions (i.e., water and air temperature). A non-linear machine learning predictive model was developed with race finish time as the predicted variable and sex, country of origin, event location, and the locations’ average air and water temperatures as predictors. Several model interpretability tools were used to assess the contribution of each predictor to the model’s predictions. All analyses, modeling, and visualizations were performed using Python. Among the top five, the fastest overall male race times were achieved by athletes from Ukraine (8.71±0.58 h), Portugal (8.79±0.41 h), Poland (8.94±0.68 h), Switzerland (8.98±0.48 h), and Estonia (9.00±0.67 h). The fastest overall female race times were recorded by athletes from Poland (9.37±0.35 h), Finland (9.53±0.64 h), Chile (9.70±0.33 h), Switzerland (9.71±0.55 h), and Denmark (9.78±0.59 h). The fastest overall race times were achieved at IRONMAN® Tallinn (9.01±0.67 h), and IRONMAN® Switzerland Thun (9.02±0.38 h). The model identified sex as the most important predictor, followed by the athlete’s country of origin. For air temperature, the model predicted the best race times within a range of 19 to 27 °C. For water temperature, the model favored warmer temperatures for faster race time predictions. The professional IRONMAN® performance is influenced by a combination of geographical and environmental factors. European countries and race locations were consistently associated with superior performances, while favorable environmental conditions were characterized by relatively warm water temperatures and moderate air temperatures.

Ultra Triathlon Italy

From September 4 to November 25, the “Ultra Triathlon Italy” will take place, featuring triathlon courses up to 30 times the distance of an Ironman and running courses up to 7,000 kilometers.

The shortest triathlon course was the Double Iron.

The swim took place at the “I Borghi di Lugana” outdoor pool. Then, cyclists had to complete 7.6-kilometer loops; the road was full of potholes, and on an Ironman-distance course, they had to climb about 1,000 meters in elevation. The run took place on a 1.1-kilometer loop, which

Musculoskeletal (Mal)adaptations in Response to a > 30 000-km Running Challenge

Ultra-endurance sports are increasingly popular, yet the long-term physiological consequences of sustained extreme training loads remain poorly understood. In particular, the effects of prolonged ultra-endurance exercise on skeletal muscle structure, function and molecular remodelling are largely unknown. This case study examined a highly experienced ultra-endurance athlete who completed a world-record attempt to run 30 300 km, with extensive phenotyping focusing on skeletal muscle adaptations and recovery. A 49-year-old male athlete (172 cm, 65 kg) ran ~70 km daily for 15 months. Musculoskeletal, cardiac and visceral ultrasonography, leg muscle strength and power measurements were performed before and after the challenge. Muscle biopsies (n = 4) from vastus lateralis were obtained immediately after completion and during 17 months of recovery to assess myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition, mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes and proteins involved in mitochondrial turnover, autophagy and inflammation. Body composition, haematological and biochemical markers, and gut microbiota composition were monitored longitudinally. The athlete ran 30 300 km over 444 days, maintaining a daily distance of ~70 km despite substantial musculoskeletal discomfort, including a tibial stress reaction mid-challenge, which resolved gradually with continued running. Body mass decreased by ~3 kg, primarily reflecting fat loss (~83%), accompanied by reductions in muscle thickness, maximal strength and power. Circulating creatine kinase (3-15-fold), oxidative stress markers (~50%) and GDF8 (~10%-50%) were sustainedly increased, whereas IGF-I decreased (~10%-40%), suggesting a reduced anabolic environment during the challenge. Muscle biopsy analyses revealed a progressive recovery of mitochondrial function during the 17 months following the challenge, as evidenced by a progressive increase in ETC protein abundance and the expression of regulators of mitochondrial dynamics and quality control (MFN2, PARKIN, DRP1). In contrast, markers of autophagy, apoptosis and inflammation were decreased during the 17-months post-challenge (LC3A/B-I by ~50%, CASP3 by ~60% and NF-κBSer536 by ~20%). Muscle fibre composition showed extreme predominance of slow fibres (nearly 100% MHC-I), which persisted during recovery. Most molecular and functional alterations gradually resolved within 10-17 months. Gut microbiota diversity increased during the challenge, with enrichment of Bifidobacterium during running and Akkermansia during recovery. Sustaining daily ultrarunning for more than 1 year induces substantial skeletal muscle remodelling, including reduced muscle size, impaired contractile function and mitochondrial maladaptations, despite largely preserved endocrine and haematological stability. These findings highlight skeletal muscle as a primary physiological system challenged during extreme endurance exercise and demonstrate that recovery from such perturbations may require more than one year.

Generalized anxiety disorder is associated with self-reported injury history among Brazilian ultramarathoners

Injuries among ultramarathoners are influenced by training load, recovery characteristics, anthropometric, and biomechanical characteristics. Beyond these contributors, there is increasing interest in understanding how psychological and behavioural factors may influence injury frequency and severity. Our purpose was to identify the prevalence of injuries among Brazilian ultramarathoners and the individual, training, and psychological variables associated with a higher risk of injuries. This is a cross-sectional, web-based research design that sampled Brazilian ultramarathoners of both sexes. Data was collected through an online survey during April and June 2025. The questionnaire collected information about: sex, age, body weight and height, training parameters, injury occurrence, general anxiety disorder (GAD), and exercise addiction. Ultramarathoners were classified for the GAD and exercise addiction, using specific cut-off points. An independent t-test and logistic regression model were used for the total sample and both sexes, adopting 95% of confidence interval (CI). The study included 495 ultramarathoners (44.5 ± 9.9 years). Injury prevalence was 27.7%. For the total sample, BMI (OR = 1.08; 95%CI = 1.00 to 1.13), GAD low (OR = 1.62; 95%CI = 1.00 to 2.64), and GAD severe (OR = 3.26; 95%CI = 1.32 to 8.03) increased the injury risk. For women, age and GAD severe (OR = 15.92; 95%CI = 2.47 to 102.31) were significantly associated with injury, while for men, an association was observed for GAD low (OR = 1.76; 95%CI = 1.03 to 3.02). Age, BMI, and generalized anxiety disorder were significantly associated with injury risk, with women classified as having severe symptoms showing greater vulnerability.

Gotthard Marathon

The first Gotthard Marathon took place on August 22. After the start at the Göschenen train station, runners first had to climb 1,266 meters in elevation to the Gotthard Pass, and then descended 1,383 meters to Airolo and Ambri-Piotta.

ORTA 10in10

From August 5 to 14, ORTA 10in10 took place once again—that is, 10 marathons in 10 days, with 4x10 km runs along Lake Orta every day.

With temperatures reaching 39.5 degrees and 10 days of nonstop sunshine, the challenge was to keep going.