The Correlation between Running Economy and Maximal Oxygen Uptake: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Relationships in Highly Trained Distance Runners

A positive relationship between running economy and maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O(2max)) has been postulated in trained athletes, but previous evidence is equivocal and could have been confounded by statistical artefacts. Whether this relationship is preserved in response to running training (changes in running economy and V̇O(2max)) has yet to be explored. This study examined the relationships of (i) running economy and V̇O(2max) between runners, and (ii) the changes in running economy and V̇O2max that occur within runners in response to habitual training. 168 trained distance runners (males, n = 98, V̇O(2max) 73.0 ± 6.3 mL∙kg(-1)∙min(-1); females, n = 70, V̇O(2max) 65.2 ± 5.9 mL kg(-1)∙min(-1)) performed a discontinuous submaximal running test to determine running economy (kcal∙km(-1)). A continuous incremental treadmill running test to volitional exhaustion was used to determine V̇O(2max) 54 participants (males, n = 27; females, n = 27) also completed at least one follow up assessment. Partial correlation analysis revealed small positive relationships between running economy and V̇O(2max) (males r = 0.26, females r = 0.25; P<0.006), in addition to moderate positive relationships between the changes in running economy and V̇O(2max) in response to habitual training (r = 0.35; P<0.001). In conclusion, the current investigation demonstrates that only a small to moderate relationship exists between running economy and V̇O(2max) in highly trained distance runners. With >85% of the variance in these parameters unexplained by this relationship, these findings reaffirm that running economy and V̇O(2max) are primarily determined independently.