Training and Body Composition during Preparation for a 48-Hour Ultra-Marathon Race: A Case Study of a Master Athlete

Although the acute effects of ultra-endurance exercise on body composition have been well studied, limited information exists about the chronic adaptations of body composition to ultra-endurance training. The aim of the present study was to examine the day-by-day variation of training and body composition of a master athlete during the preparation for a 48-hour ultra-marathon race. For all training sessions (n = 73) before the race, the running distance, duration, and pace were recorded, and body mass, body fat (BF), body water (%), visceral fat, fat-free mass (FFM), four circumferences (i.e., waist, upper arm, thigh and calf), and eight skinfolds (i.e., chest, mid-axilla, triceps, subscapular, abdomen, iliac crest, thigh and calf) were measured accordingly in a 53-year-old experienced ultra-endurance athlete (body mass 80.1 kg, body height 177 cm, body mass index 25.6 kg·m^-2). The main findings of the present study were that (a) the training plan of the ultra-endurance master athlete followed a periodization pattern with regard to exercise intensity and training volume, which increased over time, (b) the body mass, BF, and FFM decreased largely during the first 30 training sessions, and (c) the circumferences and skinfolds reflected the respective decrease in BF. The findings of this case study provided useful information about the variation of training and body composition during the preparation for an ultra-marathon race in a male master ultra-marathoner. The preparation for an ultra-endurance race seems to induce pronounced changes in body mass and body composition.