Abstract
We examined young athletes during a triathlon performed in a hot climate. Complete or partial data were available for 95 athletes competing in the National Triathlon Championship in Costa Rica. Mean ± SD for age and body weight (BW) were 13.1 ± 2.5 years and 46.3 ± 11.5 kg, respectively. Race requirements included: 500 m swimming, 15 km cycling, 3.5 km running for juniors (9–13 years); 800 m swimming, 30 km cycling, 8 km running for seniors (14–17 years). WBGT on race day was >31 °C. BW recorded pre- and post-race was available for 92 athletes and performance data were available for 83 of these. Information regarding symptoms experienced during the race was available for 95 athletes. Change in BW (%ΔBW) was calculated and ranged from +0.6 to −2.4 % for junior boys (−1.2 ± 0.9 %), +0.7 to −2.5 % for junior girls (−1.3 ± 0.9 %), 0 to −2.8 % for senior girls (−1.3 ± 0.9 %), and +0.6 to −4.5 % for senior boys (−1.7 ± 1.1 %). Eighteen participants reported no medical symptoms. Of 77 participants who reported symptoms, 42.9 % reported exhaustion/fatigue, 36.4 % reported side stitch/cramp, and 23.4 % reported dizziness. Participants reporting no medical symptoms achieved almost identical (P = 0.99) %ΔBW as those reporting at least one symptom. %ΔBW was more negative (P = 0.005) in participants who reported dizziness (−1.9 %ΔBW) compared with those who did not (−1.4 %ΔBW). %ΔBW was associated with performance in junior girls (r = 0.47, P = 0.02) and senior boys (r = 0.51, P = 0.01), with a trend in junior boys (r = 0.41, P = 0.053) but not in senior girls (r = 0.004, P = 0.99). Young athletes participating in a triathlon in a hot climate can tolerate mild to moderate levels of dehydration, without detrimental effects to self-assessed health.
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Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge Roberto Solano, José Moncada, Lourdes Mayol, Ana Serrano, and Karol Madriz, for their support with logistics and data collection. Funding for this study was provided by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Barrington, IL, USA.
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Communicated by George Havenith.
Dr. Bar-Or: deceased
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Aragón-Vargas, L.F., Wilk, B., Timmons, B.W. et al. Body weight changes in child and adolescent athletes during a triathlon competition. Eur J Appl Physiol 113, 233–239 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2431-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2431-8