Professor Andy Jones: What Makes Kipchoge So Good?

Marathon Medicine 2022. Professor Andy Jones describes the fourth dimension in the physiology of marathon running. #MM2022 The physiological determinants of distance running performance are widely accepted to be the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), the lactate threshold (LT), and running economy (RE). These three variables can be measured during an incremental treadmill test in the laboratory and used to predict race performances. However, it is rarely acknowledged that VO2max, LT and RE are not static but rather are dynamic variables that change with time as fatigue develops during endurance exercise. Studies show, for example, that RE deteriorates and the critical speed (the highest speed that can be sustained in a steady-state) falls during 2 hours of heavy exercise. This has given rise to the notion of a ‘4th dimension’ in the physiology of distance running, namely, fatigue resistance or resilience. This lecture will explore this concept and consider whether the ‘all-time greats’ of marathon running, including Paula Radcliffe and Eliud Kipchoge, achieve their greatness at least in part as a consequence of superior resilience. Biography: Andy Jones PhD is Professor of Applied Physiology at the University of Exeter, UK. Prof Jones conducts research in the following areas: 1) control of muscle oxidative metabolism; 2) causes of exercise-related fatigue; 3) kinetics of pulmonary gas exchange; and 4) sports performance physiology and nutrition. Prof Jones has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles and his work has received over 34K citations. He has a h-index of 104 and an i10 of 287. Prof Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of ACSM’s flagship journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and is a recipient of ACSM’s prestigious Citation Award. As a former international-level runner, Prof Jones has a keen interest in the translation of his research to elite sports performance and he has served as a consultant to UK Athletics, the English Institute of Sport and Nike Inc