Abstract

We investigated the effect of pre-race intake of vitamins and minerals, in the form of supplementation, before a multi-stage ultra-endurance run and their effect on race performance. At the Deutschlandlauf 2006 in Germany, where athletes had to run across Germany from the north (Kap Arkona-Rügen) to the south (Lörrach) over 1,200 km within 17 consecutive stages, twenty male ultra runners (46.2+/-9.6 years, 71.8+/-5.2 kg, 179+/-6 cm, BMI 22.5+/-1.9 kg/m2) completed a questionnaire about their intake of vitamin and mineral supplements in the four weeks before the race. Race performance of athletes with- and athletes without regular intake of these supplements were compared. In the four weeks before the run, nine runners (45%) ingested vitamin- and twelve athletes (60%) mineral supplements. Athletes with an intake of vitamins (152.8+/-14.1 h versus 160.6+/-14.6 h, p>0.05) and minerals (151.6+/-14.5 h versus 165.3+/-10.8 h, p>0.05) finished the race no faster than athletes without an intake of vitamins and minerals. We concluded that in the Deutschlandlauf 2006 of over 1,200 km within 17 consecutive stages, athletes with a regular intake of vitamin and mineral supplements in the four weeks before the race finished the competition no faster than athletes without an intake of vitamins and minerals.