Publications

Objective: Ultra-endurance cycling offers a natural laboratory for studying physiological responses under sustained extreme load. Continuous in-race monitoring is rarely reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a multimodal framework of physiological parameters including metabolic, cardiovascular, and muscle-mechanical patterns during an ultra-endurance event.

Approach: This study stress-tests a multimodal framework of physiological parameters of a 58-year-old male athlete during the Race Across America (RAAM) 2024, covering 4,933 km in 11 days from Oceanside, California, to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Parameters included energy expenditure, continuous blood glucose levels, heart rate, power output, passive muscle stiffness and resting tone, as well as sleep times.

Main Results: The multimodal monitoring toolkit proved feasible and provided continuous, physiological measurements throughout the RAAM, enabling the observation of the following physiological changes: The athlete lost 2.3 kg of total weight and had an estimated energy deficit of 21,169 kcal. Blood glucose levels decreased over the course of the RAAM (0.92 mg/dl/d, p < 0.001), with an increased time spent below 100 mg/dl (p < 0.001). Heart rate during cycling progressively decreased, stabilising at a plateau of 94 bpm. Power output-to-heart rate ratio initially dropped until day 7 before peaking on day 11. Mean passive muscle stiffness and resting tone increased during the race compared to baseline levels, with distinct response patterns observed between two leg muscles and one lower back muscle. The total sleep deficit was 65 hours during the RAAM.

Significance: Continuous, multimodal in-race physiological monitoring during the RAAM proved feasible and operationally useful, enabling real-time adjustments to pacing, fuelling and recovery. This framework offers a field-deployable template for ultra-endurance events. Future research should focus on larger, multi-participant studies and long-term follow-up to characterise the physiological responses to extreme endurance.

Keywords: ultra-endurance events, continuous monitooring, Race Across America, physiological measurement

We demonstrated the in-field use of a continuous, multimodal physiological monitoring framework during an ultra-endurance event providing real-time changes of metabolic, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal parameters. Furthermore, in a first-of-its-kind in-race measurement during the RAAM, the data illustrates muscle-specific responses to prolonged exercise and highlight functional differences between various relevant muscle groups (from thigh, calf and lower back).

Broad in-race monitoring may support earlier detection of unfavourable trends and more informed decision-making by athletes and crews. Future studies should evaluate multimodal physiological measurement frameworks across larger cohorts and incorporate additional modalities (e.g., core body temperature). Additionally, investigating the long-term physiological and metabolic effects of ultra-endurance efforts present an important opportunity for future research to deepen our understanding of human endurance potential.