Reproducibility of outdoor 5 km running time-trial in a competitive environment

Competitive performance research in endurance sports is limited. The applicability of sports research requires high reliability and ecological validity for the understanding of sport performance parameters. This study aimed at determining the reproducibility of a weekly 5 km performance time trial in competitive endurance runners. Twenty competitive male endurance runners (mean±s: Age=32±4 y; Height=175.60±7.10 cm; Weight=71.40±6.48 kg, 5 km personal best: 19:04±1:09 minutes) volunteered to participate in two 5 km competitive time trials over a three week period. No differences were observed between test 1 and test 2 (1217±85 s, 95% CI=1170 to 1264 s vs. 1216±79 s, +1172 to 1260 s, P>0.05). Mean coefficient of variation was reported at 0.95±0.65% (95% CI=0.59 to 1.31%) and typical error was estimated at 15 s. Reliability analysis indicated an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.984 (0.951 to 0.995) and an r-value of r=0.97 (0.91 to 0.99, P<0.01). This study confirms the reliability and sensitivity of an outdoor 5 km competitive time trial. The use of this type of event for future research is a possibility for the effectiveness of endurance performance interventions.