Reliability of Peak Running Velocity Obtained on the Track Field in Runners of Different Performance Levels

The aim of this study was to verify the reliability of peak running velocity obtained on the track field (V_{peak_TF}) in runners of different performance levels. 39 male endurance runners were divided into two groups: trained runners (TR; n = 22; 10-km time running performance of 35.2 ± 1.7 min), and recreational runners (RR; n = 17; 10-km time running performance of 51.3 ± 4.8 min). They performed three maximal incremental running tests on the official track field (400 m), with an interval of 1 week between trials to determine the reliability of V_{peak_T}. The V_{peak_TF} showed high reliability, presenting an intraclass correlation coefficient and coefficient of variation of 0.97 and 1.28%, and 0.90 and 1.24% for TR and RR, respectively. Both TR and RR showed lowest bias and limits of agreement between test and retest (V_{peak_TF1} and V_{peak_TF2}). In addition, there was no statistical test-retest difference for V_{peak_TF}. In addition, the HR and RPE submaximal values were reliable for both TR and RR. Therefore, the V_{peak_TF} showed high reliability in both TR and RR. These findings reinforce that the protocol for determining V_{peak_TF}, using increments of 1 km h^-1 every 3 min is reliable regardless of the performance level of the runners.