Running the Numbers
Running High Up
There are plenty of things that make going for a run challenging: wind, rain, extreme cold, or uneven terrain to name a few. Most are hard to quantify, but one notable challenge is an exception: high altitude running. No matter how nice a day, higher elevations yield less atmospheric oxygen, and lower oxygen saturation levels in the blood. Typically close to 99 per cent at sea level, oxygen saturation goes down as you go up. A 1991 research paper by Francois Peronnet conducted a theoretical analysis on running performance at altitude, and estimated that a 2,000 m elevation would decrease your speed by 6 per cent, while 4,000 m leads to a whopping 20 per cent handicap. The rarified air near the tip of Mount Everest’s 8,800 m contains only one third of the oxygen found at sea level. Here, blood oxygen saturation, even in adapted individuals, is only about 60 per cent. Few people at this height would contemplate running at all. Distance records are never set at elevation. Berlin, Paris, New York and Chicago marathons are all close to sea level. By contrast, 1968’s Mexico City Olympic marathon was held at an altitude of 2,200 metres. Ethiopia’s Mamo Wolde won in an impressive time of 2:20 (and beating second place by three minutes) yet was far behind the then-2:09 world record.
As far as race PBs go, altitude kills. But for the same reason some might travel to such locations for the guaranteed challenge. For reference, anything above 1,500 m is considered “high altitude,” while above 4,500 m leads to impaired mental function. Most bodily adaptations peak around 3,000 m. Elites go to great lengths to train at midrange altitudes. Locations such as the Rift Valley, Kenya (1,800 m), Flagstaff, Ariz. (2,100 m), or Boulder, Colo. (1,600 m) are some popular training destinations.
The reason for these excursions is to encourage the body’s adaptations to low oxygen environments; hemoglobin is produced in larger quantities after weeks of exposure. It’s debatable how great of an advantage runners obtain when returning back to sea level, but the adaptations while up there are real. Were someone transported from sea level to extreme altitude without a proper transition they would i mmediately pass out. This is why ascents of Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) take up to eight days.
If you are seeking a challenging place to train or race, there are several interesting spots to visit . For example, Bolivia has quite a few high-altitude cities including El Alto, where over a million people live above 4,100 m. Meanwhile Juliaca, Peru, is 3,800 m in the air, while Lhasa, China is a comparable at 3,500 m. Quito, Ecuador, at 2,850 m, is the highest capital city in the world. Among races to choose, the Inca Trail Marathon, with an average elevation of 3,100 m, is a tough challenge. For the ultimate altitude race experience consider the Mount Everest marathon, which starts at a staggering 5,200 m. Or try the Jungfrau Marathon, Switzerland, which starts at 600 m but climbs dramatically to a mountain peak finish of 2,061 m. Some races are f latter, but start high, such as Yellowstone’s Half, at 2,000 m. A little closer to home, the Canmore Half-Marathon begins at a modest 1,300 m, while Calgary’s marathon is quite f lat but still at 1,050 m altitude.
One last reason to consider visit ing high-altit ude locations is their lower mean temperat ures and humidity, which are both excellent for an enjoyable run. And not to mention in choosing any of these places you are more or less guaranteed a fantast ic view.