The purpose of this study was to compare anaerobic running capacity (ARC, i.e., the distance that can be run using only stored energy sources in the muscle) determined from a 3-parameter systems model with other anaerobic indices and with running performance in the 800 m. Seventeen trained male subjects (V·O2max = 66.54 ± 7.29 ml · min-1 · kg-1) performed an incremental test to exhaustion for the determination of V·O2max and peak treadmill velocity (PTV), five randomly ordered constant velocity tests at 95, 100, 105, 110, and 120 % of PTV to compute ARC and oxygen deficit (O2def, at 110 % of PTV), and a 800-m time trial to determine running performance (mean velocity over the distance, V800 m) and peak blood lactate concentration ([La-]b, peak). ARC (467 ± 123 m) was positively correlated with O2def (56.35 ± 18.47 ml · kg-1; r = 0.57; p < 0.05), but not with [La-]b, peak (15.08 ± 1.48 mmol · l-1; r = - 0.16; p > 0.05). The O2 equivalent of ARC (i.e., the product of ARC by the energy cost of running; 103.74 ± 28.25 ml · kg-1), which is considered as an indirect estimation of O2def, was significantly higher than O2def (p < 0.01, effect size = 1.99). It was concluded that ARC is partially determined by anaerobic pathway, but that it probably does not provide an accurate measure of anaerobic capacity, if, however, O2def can be considered as a criterion measure for it.
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