Relationship Between BSA:mass and an Individual's Marathon Performance Relative to their Maximum Aerobic Capacity

In conjunction with the marathon training physical education class at the University of Minnesota, Master of Science student, Laura Roach, is researching the effect of body surface area to mass ratio (BSA:mass) on thermoregulation during varied marathon meteorological conditions. An advantageous relationship between higher BSA:mass and marathon performance has been hypothesized due to the dominance of lean East Africans in long distance running events. While some researchers theorize that this relationship is due to delayed thermoregulatory fatigue for those with higher BSA:mass, the current literature is still insubstantial in correlating these variables. This study hopes provide more practical knowledge for coaches and athletes concerning individual variation in marathon performance based on race day weather conditions.