East African Running: Toward a Cross-Disciplinary Perspective

by Pitsiladis; Yannis P.

• ISBN13: 9780415377874
• ISBN10: 0415377870
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-12-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In the world of competitive sport, debate surrounding the predictors of success is intense, and the disproportionate success of east African distance runners has generated much theorising. Within the academic community, research is specialised and has been restricted by isolation inside either the natural science or the social science communities. East African Running: Towards a Cross Disciplinary Perspective presents a rare collaboration between leading researchers from both sports sciences and social sciences to offer the fullest yet exploration of the questions raised by the East African running phenomenon. The text covers: Socio-economic and cultural perspectives, Physiological perspectives, Athleticogenomic perspectives. Presenting a uniquely integrated approach, this book is a fascinating resource for students and researchers interested in the sources of success in endurance sport. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

List of figures	p. ix
List of tables	p. xii
List of contributors	p. xiii
Foreword	p. xxi
Introduction	p. 1
Socio-economic and cultural perspectives	p. 9
Kenyan running before the 1968 Mexico Olympics	p. 11
The promise and possibilities of running in and out of east Africa	p. 24
Raiders from the Rift Valley: cattle raiding and distance running in east Africa	p. 40
The Haile Gebrselassie story: a biography of difference	p. 51
Physiological perspectives	p. 61
Outstanding performance despite low fluid intake: the Kenyan running experience	p. 63
Energy balance and body composition of elite endurance runners: a hunter-gatherer phenotype	p. 85
Diet and endurance performance of Kenyan runners: a physiological perspective	p. 102
Dominance of Kenyan Kalenjins in middle- and long-distance running	p. 118
Understanding the dominance of African endurance runners: exercise biology and an integrative model	p. 134
Studies of physiological and neuromuscular function of black South African distance runners	p. 159
Erythropoietic indices in elite Kenyan runners training at altitude: effects of descent to sea level	p. 199
Athleticogenomic perspectives	p. 215
Genes and human elite athletic performance	p. 217
Genetics and endurance performance	p. 234
Evidence for the 'natural' east African athlete	p. 257
Index	p. 283
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