Honolulu wheelchair marathon: A comparative study between American and Japanese participants

Little is known about the characteristics of wheelchair marathon competitors in terms of training, dietary habits, and how these factors relate to performance. Questionnaire data and finishing times were obtained from 29 wheelchair marathon racers, including 16 individuals from the United States, 12 from Japan, and 1 from New Zealand. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student's r‐test were used to determine the statistical significance of comparisons between American and Japanese subjects. Pearson's correlation coefficients were computed among some key variables. The mean age of the subjects was 34.2 years, with a standard error (SE) of 9.5; their body mass was 61.1 kg (SE = 2.1), and triceps skinfold thickness was 9.1 mm (SE = 0.8). The finishing times over 42 km ranged from 119 to 357 minutes, with an average of 190.5 minutes (SE = 10.7). The athletes’ training duration consisted of a mean of 360 minutes (SE = 37.2) a week in the 3 months prior to the competition. The usual diet of the competitors during training included 1781 Kcal of energy. Average percentages of calories from protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol were 20.3, 52.9, 26.1, and 0.8, respectively. The Japanese consumed more sodium than the Americans (2899 mg versus 1957 mg) but the difference was not significant. The Japanese group trained more using wheelchair rollers and road rolling, but did no swimming, kayaking, or weight training. The Americans spent more time training (406 minutes versus 296 minutes per week). The mean finishing time for the American group was 163 minutes versus 220 for the Japanese group, and this difference was significant with p < 0.05.

KEYWORDS :

• wheelchair marathon
• diet
• finishing time
• physical endurance