Physiologic Comparison of Adolescent Female and Male Cross-Country Runners

To compare the physiologic differences between adolescent male and female cross-country runners, 12 male and 12 female high school nonelite distance runners who had competed successfully at the All State 5-km championship cross-country meet were tested in the laboratory. Data were analyzed in relation to maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max), ventilatory threshold (VT), and running economy (RE). Male runners were taller, heavier, had less body fat, and ran faster by 2 minutes and 18 seconds than female runners. Running economy was similar between gender. VO₂ at a 215 m•min⁻¹ pace was 46.7 ml•kg⁻¹•min⁻¹ for male runners and 47.8 ml•kg⁻¹•min⁻¹ for female runners. At the VT, males demonstrated a higher VO₂ and treadmill velocity than females. Heart rate, percent HR max, and percent VO₂ max at the VT were not different between gender. Males demonstrated a higher VO2 max of 74.6 versus 66.1 ml•kg⁻¹•min⁻¹ than female runners. The fractional utilization of VO₂ at race pace was not different between males (90%) and females (91%). In conclusion, the primary physiologic determinant for performance differences between nonelite, competitive male and female adolescent distance runners is associated with VO₂ max.