Key result
A 76-year-old female world-record holder exhibits the highest VO2max ever recorded for her age.
Why the study?
To investigate the physiological determinants of exceptional running performance in an elite female master athlete in the 75+ age category.
Case Report (n=1)
A 76-year-old female world-record holder demonstrated the highest V̇o2max ever recorded for her age group, highlighting the physiological potential of aging athletes.
Should not change practice from one case; hypothesis-generating for elite aging physiology limits.
This case study investigates the physiological determinants of exceptional performance in a 76-yr-old female world-record holder across distances from 1,500 m to the marathon. It reveals the highest V̇o 2max ever recorded in females aged >75 yr and exceptional fractional utilization at metabolic thresholds and marathon speed, comparable to younger world-class distance runners. The modest running economy found can be partially explained by biomechanical and training data.
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Hooren et al. (2025) conducted a case report in Exceptional running performance (n=1). Endurance running was evaluated on Physiological determinants including VO2max, fractional utilization, and running economy. A 76-year-old female world-record holder exhibited the highest VO2max ever recorded in females aged >75 years and exceptional fractional utilization at metabolic thresholds and marathon speed.
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