The Physiological Characteristics of an 83-Year-Old Champion Female Master Runner This work describes the investigation of the cardioreespiratory, muscular and skeletal properties of an 83-year-old runner, which had placed several world records in the age group of 80- to 84-year-olds. The measurements of maximum oxygen uptake, the maximum heart rate, the maximum isometric torque for knellet muscles, the muscle volume top and lower leg and the bone mineral density of the proximal femur were evaluated. Based on previously published equations, the physiological age for maximum oxygen uptake, the maximum heart rate and the maximum isometric torque was determined. The muscle volume for the dominant leg was compared with previously published gender and age-appropriate data using Z-Scores.For the bone mineral density, the T-Score and the Z score were calculated. The runner had the highest maximum oxygen uptake (42.3 ml × min-1 × kg-1), which has ever been observed with a woman over 80 years, which gave her a remarkable physiological age (27 years). In contrast, she had a physiological age closer to its biological age for maximum isometric torque (90 years) and maximum heart rate (74 years). The Z values for the muscle volume of thighs (0.4) and lower legs (1.1) showed that the leg muscles of the runner were almost as strong as their gender and age-appropriate peers. The T-score (-1.7) for the bone mineral density showed that the runner had an osteopenia, but no osteoporosis, and the Z-score (0.7) showed that the bone mineral density of the runners of women in the same age similarwas.
This single case study shows that the remarkable cardioreespiratory fitness in conjunction with intensive endurance training, which was observed in a sportswoman, was not associated with the specific preservation of its muscle and skeletal properties. The whole case report can be found under https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31605522/