Association of rural collegiate 800 m athletes' running time with their cardiorespiratory endurance, power, and F30 time

Neeraj Kumar; Anand N Badwe

doi:10.4103/sjsm.sjsm_5_23

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Year : 2023 | Volume : 23 | Issue : 1 | Page : 17-21

Association of rural collegiate 800 m athletes' running time with their cardiorespiratory endurance, power, and F30 time

Neeraj Kumar¹, Anand N Badwe²
¹ Department of Orthopaedic Physiotherapy, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam College of Physiotherapy, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed to be University), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
² Department of Physiology, Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Rural Medical College, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed to be University), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India

Date of Submission	11-Apr-2023
Date of Decision	09-May-2023
Date of Acceptance	16-May-2023
Date of Web Publication	07-Aug-2023

Correspondence Address:
Neeraj Kumar
Department of Orthopaedic Physiotherapy, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam College of Physiotherapy, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed to be University), Loni, Rahata, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

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DOI: 10.4103/sjsm.sjsm_5_23

Abstract

Background: Middle distance running is a track and field sport and 800 meter running is one of it. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between 800 meter running time with BMI, aerobic capacity, anaerobic power and F30 time.
Materials and Methods: A total of 100 volunteer rural collegiate athletes were randomly participated in this study.
Results: Their mean age (in years), weight (in kg), height (in cm), BMI (kg/m²), Cardiorespiratory endurance or VO2 max (ml/kg/min), anaerobic power (watt), F30 time (sec) and 800 meter running time (m.s) were 19.35 (±1.37), 61.92 (±9.94), 171.12 (±5.91), 21.13 (±3.15), 35.83 (±4.05), 334.17, (±114.87), 5.44 (±0.26), 3.43 (±0.23) respectively. The Pearson correlation test was applied between 800 meter running time with BMI, aerobic capacity, anaerobic power and F30 time and its P value was -0.01, 0.06, -0.20, -0.07 respectively.
Conclusion: The finding of the present study suggests that 800 meter running time of these athletes are correlated with only BMI and not correlated with VO2 max, anaerobic power and F30 time.

Keywords: 800 m running, anaerobic power, body mass index, F30, VO₂ max

How to cite this article:
Kumar N, Badwe AN. Association of rural collegiate 800 m athletes' running time with their cardiorespiratory endurance, power, and F30 time. Saudi J Sports Med 2023;23:17-21

How to cite this URL:
Kumar N, Badwe AN. Association of rural collegiate 800 m athletes' running time with their cardiorespiratory endurance, power, and F30 time. Saudi J Sports Med [serial online] 2023 [cited 2023 Sep 22];23:17-21. Available from: https://www.sjosm.org/text.asp?2023/23/1/17/383099

Introduction

Once Mahatma Gandhi said “India lives in village."^[1],[2] Rural infrastructures in India still have a long way to go, and rural people face numerous obstacles on a daily basis. They have difficulties in obtaining basic health,^[3] education,^[4] and sports^[5] opportunities. In rural India, there are numerous government and private educational institutions, the majority of which have a considerable number of students.^[4] May of these rural institutions are having the basic sports facilities and there are many students who participates in various sports events. Although many rural colleges have a fully functional sports department and personnel, there is a huge gap which has to be filled in order to maintain and improve the fitness and performances of rural collegiate athletes.^[6],[7] In contrast to urban collegiate athletes, the rural collegiate athletes have some different kinds of challenges too. The rural population of India is heavily reliant on agriculture as their primary source of income,^[8] and nearly every family in a village is active in agriculture8, therefore collegiate students or athletes must be involved in agriculture as well. Due to the increased workload, rural collegiate players find it difficult to devote enough time to sports training, practise, and workouts. In addition to this obstacle, parents are wary of sports as a professional option for their children and do not always encourage them to participate in sports.^[9],[10] This scenario is now improving^[11] but still requires more emphasis. Furthermore, the limited number of skilled sports professionals in rural settings, such as trainers, coaches, and physiotherapists, plays an important role in the obstacles experienced by rural collegiate athletes. Advanced training and exercise equipment, as well as research equipment, are major areas for improvement in rural settings.^[5],[6] In order to compete and perform successfully on a larger platform, these rural collegiate athletes require more precise and advanced training equipment, as well as highly experienced and trained specialists. There are a few athletes of national and international renown who dope, which can lead to rural players doing the same if they do not have sufficient training and facilities, which is unlawful and outlawed, and can ultimately destroy such athletes physically, mentally, and socially.^[12] There is a need to carry out some good research work on these athletes as there is a paucity of such researches on rural collegiate athletes.

Many rural collegiate athletes, in lack of proper guidance, are unaware about their fitness and performances and how and where to improve it. The aerobic capacity is being measured by VO2 max (maximum voluntary consumption of oxygen) which is also termed as cardio-respiratory endurance.^[13],[14]The anaerobic power is determined by various strength test in which RAST (Running based anaerobic sprint test) is one. It is crucial to determine how aerobic and anaerobic ability relate to various factors in rural collegiate athletes since these capacities play a significant impact in 800 meter athletic performances. Thus, we conducted this study to determine the correlation of 800 m running time with body mass index (BMI), aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, and F30 time in rural collegiate 800 m athletes. This study helps rural sports professionals to plan for the improvement of athletic performances accordingly.

Materials and Methods

A total of 100 healthy voluntary collegiate 800 metre athletes aged 18 to 25 years from various institutions in Rahata Talluka, Ahmednagar district, were chosen at random based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants with any recent injury and any medical and/or psychological conditions which may affect their performances were excluded from this study. The minimum eligibility of participants was to qualify physical activity readiness questionnaire and they all submitted their written informed consent. The ethical committee approval (PIMS/IEC-DR/2020/135) was taken from the Institutional Ethical Committee of Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed to be University), Loni.

The following variables were taken:

Height (cm) measured by a stadiometer; and weight (kg) measured by a digital weighing machine.

VO2 max (beep test):^[15] This test involved continuous running between two lines 20 m apart in time to recorded beeps. The test subjects stood behind one of the lines facing the second line and began running when instructed by the tape. The speed at the start was quite slow. The subject continued running between the two lines, turning when signaled by the recorded beeps. After 1 min, a sound beep indicated an increase in speed, and the beeps were closer together. This was continued for each minute (level). If the line was not reached in time for each beep, the subject must rerun to the line turn and try to complete the task within 2 more “beeps.” Also, if the line is reached before the beep sounds, the subject must wait until the beep sounds. The test was stopped if the subject failed to reach the line (within 2 m) for two consecutive ends. The athletes score was considered as the level and number of shuttles (20 m) reached before they were unable to keep up with the recording. This score was converted to a VO2 max equivalent score using mobile app (Beep test v 4.17, offered by Ruval enterprises, Canada)^[15]
Anaerobic power (running based anaerobic sprint test):Initially, body mass of each participant measured with the same clothes to be used in the running based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) test. Two lines taped to the floor marked a sprinting trace of 35 m and cones placed at the end of each of the line. Participants were instructed to complete six 35-m sprints at maximum pace and to be sure to cross each line. Participants verbally encouraged to run as fast as possible during each run to ensure a maximal effort. Between each run, participants were allowed to rest for 10 s before turning around, in order to allow them to prepare for the subsequent sprint. Each 10-s interval between the sprints has also been timed manually. For the first sprint, the instruction was “ready, 3, 2, 1, go.” For the other five sprints, a countdown from 6 to 1 and the start signal “go” proved to be sufficient. Power, expressed in watts (W), and be calculated by the formula power = (Body Mass/*Distance2)/Time.^[16]
F30 sprint test:This test assessed the sprinting ability over a short distance, which is of particular importance for many sports and has been associated with the performance of different activities. F30 was performed on a straight track marked with cones and lines at 30 and 60 m after the starting point. The participants waited for the signal at the starting point and then ran at maximum speed. Participants performed two trials separated by 5 min and the best time has been used in the analysis^[17]
800 m running time: After a warm-up of self-selected velocity and 5 min of rest, participants were asked to perform 800 m run in a minimal time possible.

Statistical analysis

Descriptive statistics were done using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). Mean and standard deviation were used to prepare summary statistics. Pearson's correlation test was applied to find the relation between variables.

Results

A total of 100 rural collegiate 800 m athletes participated in this study. The average age (years), weight (kg), height (cm), BMI (kg/m²), VO2 max (mL/kg/min), anaerobic power (watt), F30 time (s), and 800 m running time (ms) of all participants are shown in [Table 1].

Table 1: Descriptive values of all variables

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The Pearson's correlation test was applied between 800 m running time with BMI, aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, and F30 time and its P value is shown in [Table 2].

Table 2: Correlation between 800 m time with other variables

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Discussion

The aerobic capacity and anaerobic power are considered as good parameter for performing sports which requires endurance, strength, and power.^[18] Many rural college athletes compete in sports including sprinting, wrestling, and kabaddi. Middle distance running requires for both strength and endurance,^[19] and many rural athletes compete in it, especially in the 800 meter race. This study aims to determine how the 800 meter running time in rural collegiate 800 meter athletes relates to BMI, aerobic capacity, anaerobic power, and F30 time. A total 100 rural collegiate 800 m athletes randomly participated in this study. Their average age was 19.35 years. Average 800 m running time of all participants was 3.43 min which is well below the national and international records.^[20],[21] There may be certain factors for this low level performance which need to be further studied.

The average BMI of all participants was 21.13 m/kg², which is considered as normal.^[22] The Pearson's correlation between 800 m running time and BMI was − 0.01, which is statistically significant inversely. This finding suggests that BMI shall be maintained in order to perform better in 800 m running. This finding is supported by Sedeaud et al.,^[23] which suggested that middle distance running time is related with BMI. In another study, O'Connor et al.^[24] found that athletes who are overweight are not having good time in middle distance running.

The average VO2 max of all participants was 35.83 mL/kg/min, which is below than standard.^{[25],[26],[27]} There could be numerous issues that need to be researched in the future. The aerobic capacity of these athletes is required to be improved by proper aerobic training. Pearson's correlation was applied between 800 m running time and VO2 max among these participants and P = 0.06, which is statistically insignificant. This finding suggests that VO2 max have not any relation with 800 m running time. Since the 800 m running time and VO2 max of all participants are not meeting standard values, it is difficult to justify the finding of this study that they are not related with each other. In a study conducted by Støren et al.,^[28] the middle distance running time is related with athletes' aerobic capacity, which is in contrast with the finding of the present study.

The anaerobic power of all athletes was measured using RAST. The average anaerobic power was 331.49 watt, which is well below standard values.^[29],[30] The anaerobic power is required to be improved with the help of well-guided strength training program. Pearson's correlation was applied between 800 m running time and anaerobic power and their P = −0.20 which is statistically insignificant. It should also be highlighted that these athletes' typical values for 800 meter running time and anaerobic power are below average, thus this correlation finding cannot be justified. In contrast to the results of the current study, Støren et al. (2021) claimed that anaerobic power is an important factor for middle distance running and that there is a correlation between the two.

The average F30 time of all participants was 5.44 s and its Pearson's correlation value with 800 m running time was −0.07, which is statistically insignificant. Here also, it is difficult to justify this finding as the 800 m running time is below standard. In a study conducted by Haugen et al.,^[31] it was suggested that shorter distance running training particularly 30 m and 60 m is effective in middle distance running.

Since the rural collegiate athletes are facing challenges in training due to limited training facility and limited opportunity for participation in various platforms, they need to be provided with ample support. If we want more medals for our country in international events, we need to focus on rural athletes also. If they trained well, they also can perform better.

Conclusion

The finding of the present study suggests that the 800 m running time, VO2 max, and anaerobic power of rural collegiate 800 m athlete are below normal and need to be improved. The finding also suggests that 800 m running time of these athletes is correlated with only BMI and not correlated with VO2 max, anaerobic power, and F30 time. Since their average values are below than national and international standard, it is not to be justifiable and advisable to conclude that 800 m running time is not correlated with aerobic capacity and anaerobic power. A further guided training program for these athletes needs to be framed and implemented to improve their performances and then again a correlation study shall be done.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

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