The impact of adventure racing practice on anthropometry and energy balance of athletes

Purpose The objective was to assess energy expenditure and intake, anthropometric changes and handgrip strength as well as the subjective perception of effort of Adventure Racing athletes before, during and after a national competition circuit. Methods Twenty-one athletes aged 24–48 years were included in the study. Assessments were conducted at five time intervals: interval 1 (30 days before the race), interval 2 (7 days before race), interval 3 (during briefing), interval 4 (at the end of the race), and interval 5 (7 days after the race). The athletes were submitted to anthropometric, handgrip strength, and energy intake and expenditure assessments. Results Between time intervals 3 and 4, we observed a mean weight loss of 1.92 kg, ( p < 0.001), a decrease in the percentage of fat (mean 0.74%) as well as other anthropometric variables: amount of lean body mass, body mass index and arm muscle area, reflecting a negative energetic balance. Assessment of energy and macronutrient intake presented variation between the time intervals before, during and after the race, in both total consumption and relative consumption. Conclusions The results suggest that adventure racing athletes compete with a negative energy balance and that the race structure directly affects this deficit, as well as food choices during the race.