title: A Comparison of Anthropometric and Training Characteristics between Female and Male Half-Marathoners and the Relationship to Race Time.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lower limb skin-fold thicknesses have been differentially associated with sex in elite runners. Front thigh and medial calf skin-fold appear to be related to 1,500m and 10,000m time in men but 400m time in women. The aim of the present study was to compare anthropometric and training characteristics in recreational female and male half-marathoners.
  
  
  METHODS
  The association between both anthropometry and training characteristics and race time was investigated in 83 female and 147 male recreational half marathoners using bi- and multi-variate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In men, body fat percentage (β=0.6), running speed during training (β=-3.7), and body mass index (β=1.9) were related to half-marathon race time after multi-variate analysis. After exclusion of body mass index, r (2) decreased from 0.51 to 0.49, but body fat percentage (β=0.8) and running speed during training (β=-4.1) remained predictive. In women, body fat percentage (β=0.75) and speed during training (β=-6.5) were related to race time (r (2) =0.73). For women, the exclusion of body mass index had no consequence on the predictive variables for half-marathon race time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To summarize, in both female and male recreational half-marathoners, both body fat percentage and running speed during training sessions were related to half-marathon race times when corrected with co-variates after multi-variate regression analyses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christoph A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rüst
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rosemann
authors.affiliation: Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Knechtle
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Barandun
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1093, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Romuald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lepers
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland ; Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Knechtle
keywords: Body Fat; Body Mass Index; Running Speed