Acute Cardiac Effects of Ultra-Trail Running
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorCentral Hospital, Nancy, France
About this trial
This prospective observational study aims to investigate the acute cardiovascular effects of ultra-endurance running using comprehensive echocardiographic assessment combined with biological analyses. The main hypothesis is that participation in an ultra-trail race induces acute and transient changes in cardiac function involving both the left and right ventricles, associated with elevations in cardiac biomarkers, with physiological responses varying according to race distance and training level and showing spontaneous recovery within the days following the event.
Adult amateur runners participating in ultra-trail races of 80 km or 160 km will undergo standardized clinical evaluation, electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography with myocardial deformation analysis at multiple time points, including baseline, pre-effort, during the race, immediately after exercise, and during early recovery approximately one week after the event. Biological sampling will be performed before the race, immediately after exercise, and at follow-up.
The primary objective is to evaluate acute changes in left ventricular systolic function assessed by global longitudinal strain. Secondary objectives include the assessment of biventricular and atrial function, cardiac and non-cardiac biomarkers, recovery patterns after ultra-endurance exercise, and the influence of race distance, training level, performance level, and sex on cardiovascular responses.
This exploratory single-center study conducted in France seeks to provide an integrative characterization of cardiac adaptations to extreme endurance exercise and to generate physiological insights that may guide future research and cardiovascular monitoring strategies in endurance athletes.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Adults aged ≥18 years
Registered participants in the "Trail des Échos" ultra-trail race (80 km or 160 km)
Valid health clearance according to French Athletics Federation requirements
Affiliation with a national health insurance system
Disqualifiers
Known or suspected cardiovascular disease at screening, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, clinically significant arrhythmias, moderate-to-severe valvular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, or prior stroke
Acute infection or unstable chronic medical condition (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, renal, hepatic, respiratory, thyroid, or inflammatory disease)
Current treatments that may interfere with cardiovascular or biological assessments (including renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers, chronic diuretics, anticoagulants, or systemic corticosteroids)
Use of systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs within 3 days before the race or planned during the event
Trial population
Adult ultra-endurance runners participating in the "Trail des Échos" ultra-trail race (80 km or 160 km), screened prior to participation and recruited to investigate physiological cardiovascular adaptations to prolonged endurance exercise in individuals without known cardiovascular disease.
Trial design
Design model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Treatments tested in this trial
Not listed
Trial groups
60 Participants
are grouped into 1 trial groupGroup A: Ultra-Endurance Runners
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS)
Left ventricular global longitudinal strain measured by transthoracic echocardiography using speckle-tracking analysis. Image acquisition is standardized and analyzed centrally with blinded secondary review to assess subclinical systolic myocardial function in ultra-endurance runners.
Time frame
Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)Secondary outcomes
1
Structural echocardiographic parameters, ventricular volumes, and myocardial strain
Assessment of left and right ventricular sizes and volumes (millimeters or milliliters), left atrial dimensions (millimeters or milliliters per square meter) and function, alongside right ventricular free-wall strain (percentage), measured by standardized transthoracic echocardiography
Time frame
Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0), during effort (Day 1 to 2), and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)2
Echocardiographic assessment of systolic and diastolic function
Assessment of left and right ventricular systolic and diastolic function, including FAC (percentage), TAPSE (millimeters), and S' wave (centimeters per second), measured by standardized transthoracic echocardiography
Time frame
Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0), during effort (Day 1 to 2), and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)3
Echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary pressures
Assessment of pulmonary pressures (millimeters of mercury) measured by standardized transthoracic echocardiography
Time frame
Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0), during effort (Day 1 to 2), and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)4
Serum high-sensitivity troponin levels
Measurement of serum high-sensitivity troponin levels (nanograms per liter) to evaluate myocardial stress
Time frame
Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Central Hospital, Nancy, France
Lead sponsor
Association PACElab
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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