Assessment of predispositions for endurance running from field tests

Field tests of speed and endurance may be used to evaluate the probability of success and to create efficient training strategies for sports. Currently, both invasive and non-invasive methods are used for this purpose. While invasive methods cause some discomfort to subjects, non-invasive methods may employ practices associated with the sport itself. One such method employs the linear relationship between exercise intensity or running speed and distance covered running at that speed represented on a semi-logarithmic scale. The separation of endurance runners into three different groups can be confirmed by different values for the slope coefficient (b) of this linear relation. According to findings among top Czechoslovak endurance runners, supplemented by the data of other authors, the values of coefficient b in middle-distance runners are in the range -2.166 to -1.700, in long-distance runners -1.520 to -1.050 and in marathon runners -0.836 to -0.436. Similarly, a separation of young endurance runners into groups of middle-distance and long-distance runners must be within the range -2.158 to -1.800 and for young long-distance runners -1.700 to -1.300. Based on these findings, the optimum competitive distance for adult athletes can be established in relation to current training status. In young athletes, it is possible to select gifted runners with predispositions for middle-distance and long-distance running. For both groups of athletes, more efficient training methods can be selected to optimize their predispositions for maximal performance.