Resumen:
Despite their young age, limited training history, and lack of running tradition compared with other East African endurance athletes (e.g., Kenyans and Ethiopians), male endurance runners from Eritrea have recently attained important running successes. The purposes of our study were (i) to document the main physical and physiological characteristics of elite black Eritrean distance runners (n = 7; age: 22 +/- 3 years) and (ii) to compare them with those of their elite white Spanish counterparts. For this second purpose we selected a control group of elite Spanish runners (n = 9; 24 +/- 2 years), owing to the traditionally high success of Spanish athletes in long-distance running compared with other white runners, especially in cross-country competitions. The subjects' main anthropometric characteristics were determined, together with their maximum oxygen uptake (VO↓2 max) and VO↓2 (mL.kg(-↑1).min(-↑1)), blood lactate, and ammonia concentrations while running at 17, 19, or 21 km.h(-↑1). The body mass index (18.9 +/- 1.5 kg.m(-↑2)) and maximal calf circumference (30.9 +/- 1.5 cm) was lower in Eritreans than in Spaniards (20.5 +/- 1.7 kg.m(-↑2) and 33.9 +/- 2.0 cm, respectively) (p < 0.05 and p < 0....