Age group athletes in inline skating: decrease in overall and increase in master athlete participation in the longest...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Endurance Sports Analysis
• Age Group Athletics

Background:

• Limited research exists on participation and performance trends in long-distance inline skating.
• The Inline One-Eleven (111 km) is Europe's longest inline skating race, offering a unique dataset.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze participation, age, and performance trends in the Inline One-Eleven race from 1998 to 2009.
• To identify shifts in the age demographics of participants over time.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of finisher data including total numbers, age distribution, and race times.
• Comparison of male and female participation and performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Overall participation peaked in 2003 and declined subsequently.
• Relative participation of skaters under 40 decreased, while skaters over 40 increased.
• Top ten finishing times stabilized for both genders, with a consistent 17% ± 5% performance gap between men and women.

Conclusions:

• Despite a decrease in overall participation, master long-distance inline skaters showed increased involvement.
• Performance levels for elite male and female skaters remained consistent over the study period.
• Future research should explore participation in international events like the World Inline Cup.