Physiological Demands of Extreme Obstacle Course Racing: A Case Study

Timothy Baghurst, Steven L. Prewitt and Tyler Tapps
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Timothy Baghurst: College of Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Steven L. Prewitt: Department of Health and Human Performance, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75428, USA
Tyler Tapps: School of Health Science & Wellness, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO 64468, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-8

Abstract: Obstacle course races are a popular source of recreation in the United States, providing additional challenges over traditional endurance events. Despite their popularity, very little is known about the physiological or cognitive demands of obstacle course races compared to traditional road races. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological effects of participation in an extreme obstacle course race. The participant was a 38-year-old Caucasian male, who completed an extreme obstacle course race over a 24-h period. Exercise intensity, steps taken, energy expenditure, and heart rate were recorded over the event’s duration using an Actigraph Link GT9X-BT accelerometer and a Polar heart rate monitor. Results reflected the unique nature of obstacle course racing when compared to traditional endurance events, with ups-and-downs recorded in each variable due to the encountering of obstacles. This case study provides a glimpse into the physiological demands of obstacle course racing, and suggests that the cognitive demands placed on competitors may differ to traditional endurance events, due to the challenges of obstacles interspersed throughout the event. With the popularity of obstacle course racing, and to enhance training opportunities, improve performance, and decrease the incidence of injuries, future research should further investigate the physiological and cognitive demands of obstacle course races of various distances and among diverse populations.

Keywords: accelerometer; endurance training; energy expenditure; intensity; heart rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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