This year's men's and women's Ironman World Championships might be split between Nice (10 September) and Hawaii (14 October), but both genders will remain linked by the top athletes heading to altitude in the build-up. Current men's champ Gustav Iden often heads to Sierra Nevada, though mixed things up in Morocco this January, while 2022 women's victor Chelsea Sodaro headed to the luxury resort of St Moritz earlier in 2023 in search of peak performance. But how much of a boost are the likes of Iden and Sodaro seeking when hitting the heights? And what exactly is happening beneath the physiological bonnet that's so goddam alluring to endurance athletes? Breathe easy and find out...
INCREASE IN PERFORMANCE
Stints at altitude are an ever-increasing strategy for professional triathletes and the occasional top-end age-grouper for one very good reason: studies show a period sucking in rarefied air can realise a 2% lift. How? We'll dig a little deeper shortly but, broadly speaking, by exposing yourself to an environment that's low in oxygen, your body will generate more red blood cells in an effort to grab and use what oxygen's available.
And that availability is key because while oxygen percentage remains at around 21% no matter what height you're at, the 'effective' oxygen percentage changes. That's because the higher you ascend, the less compressed the air, the thinner it is and the harder it is to breathe. It's why a triathlete swimming off the coast of Tenerife will be sucking in 21% of oxygen but will be struggling somewhat after ascending 2,300m up Mount Teide as that 'effective' oxygen percentage is below 16%. This pain comes with some gain, though, as when you're back racing at sea level, you're an oxygen-saturated monster and primed for peak performance. Which begs the question, how high should you go?
この記事は 220 Triathlon の October 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は 220 Triathlon の October 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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