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The Metabolic responses (VO2 and lactic acid accumulation) of six nationally ranked marathon runners were examined during submaximal and maximal treadmill running. At all running speeds the runners were confronted with a 242 m/min head wind to partially account for the actual air resistance experienced during competitive running. Based on the metabolic laboratory data and mean competitive running speeds, marathon performances were evaluated. The average Max VO2 for the 6 runners was 4.54 l/min (71.4 ml/kg-min). During a marathon race that requires about 2400 Kcal it was estimated that the runners utilized 75% of their aerobic capacities with little lactic acid accumulation.
Costill et al. (Sun,) studied this question.