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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if selected physiological variables can discriminate between the performance levels of middle distance runners and further, to determine the relative contribution of each variable to the model describing the differences between performance levels. Thirty-nine adult males (mean age (+OR-) SD = 23.30 (+OR-) 3.72 yrs) volunteered as subjects. The subjects were divided into three performance levels (high, n = 13; medium, n = 13; and low, n = 13) based on the time for completion of a 2-mile run. The physiological variables measured were maximal oxygen consumption rate (VO(,2)max), anaerobic threshold (AT), running economy (RE), anaerobic capacity (AC), isokinetic muscular strength of the dominant leg extension movement (MS), fat weight (FW) and fat-free body weight (FFB). Multiple discriminant analysis revealed one significant (p < 0.05) function (DFl), which primarily described the difference between the high and low groups. Validation of DFl indicated an overall value of 87.5% of subjects correctly classified. The variables VO(,2)max, RE, and FFB were the most potent discriminators between the performance levels of middle distance runners.
