The UBC Long-distance Triathlon Adaptation Study

Last updated: April 2, 2025
Sponsor: University of British Columbia
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

N/A

Treatment

Individualized, periodized endurance training for ultra-endurance triathlon.

Time-Aligned Control

Clinical Study ID

NCT06467656
H24-00882
  • Ages 19-39
  • All Genders
  • Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of 12-months of individualized endurance-training (swimming, cycling and running) on physiological and psychological adaptations in exercise naïve individuals. Due to the potential seasonal changes that naturally occur in individuals across a year (even without training) the investigators will also compare the exercise-trained group to a time-aligned control group.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria: Exercise Intervention Group

  • Aged 19-39 years

  • Non-smoker (quit >6 months)

  • Able to swim >100 meters without stopping

  • Have access to, or willingness, to obtain a road bicycle

  • Are willing to commit to the research assessments and prescribed training program

  • Currently performing <120 minutes of structured endurance training per week

  • Premenopausal

Inclusion Criteria: Control Group

  • Aged 19-39 years

  • Non-smoker (quit >6 months)

  • Are willing to commit to the research assessments

  • Currently performing <120 minutes of structured endurance training per week

  • Premenopausal

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria: Exercise Intervention Group and Control Group:

  • History of heart disease

  • History of lung disease (not including controlled asthma)

  • History of metabolic disease

  • History of cancer

  • Chronic inflammatory conditions

  • Blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg

  • Chronic antibiotic, antiviral, antimicrobial, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antihistamine use

  • Are a regular (more than 1/week) cannabis user

  • Consume alcohol regularly: more than 6 standard drinks per week (e.g.14-20 ounces ofbeer and 5-8 ounces of wine)

  • Have previously completed structured endurance exercise training for an extendedperiod of time (such as training for a triathlon or running race)

  • Have previously participated in competitive team sports with an aerobic component (e.g. soccer, basketball, rugby, field hockey) and sport-specific training (e.g.hockey, football) >3 times per week within the previous 5 years

  • Have prior experience of heavy structured resistance training >3x/week within thelast 2 years

  • BMI>32 kg/m2 or <20 kg/m2

  • Pregnancy within 12 months, or planning to become pregnant within the next 12 months

  • Currently breast feeding (or having stopped within 6 months)

  • Planning to be away from the Okanagan area for an extended period over the durationof the study

Study Design

Total Participants: 60
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: Individualized, periodized endurance training for ultra-endurance triathlon.
Phase:
Study Start date:
June 20, 2024
Estimated Completion Date:
January 30, 2026

Study Description

Endurance training is well-accepted to lead to numerous positive physiological and psychological adaptations. However, many of the previous studies examining the benefits of endurance exercise on the human body have: 1) compared athletes with non-athletes using a cross-sectional design, 2) have employed training studies that are relatively short (e.g. weeks to months) in duration, 3) have primarily focused on male participants and not examined potential sex-differences, and 4) have not specifically recruited exercise naïve participants, as often participants are already engaged in ongoing recreational or competitive activities at the time of recruitment. As such, we have a limited understanding of the true time-course of adaptations that occur in exercise naïve individuals in response to training, or how physiological and psychological adaptations change beyond 4-6 months, and whether there are sex-specific differences in these adaptations.

This study is primarily designed to determine the time-course of adaptation and remodeling in females and males across multiple different physiological systems (i.e. cardiac, vascular, metabolic, respiratory, immune, and microbiome) and psychological measures at rest and in response to a range of provocations.

Forty healthy exercise-training naïve individuals (20 females: 20 males) will perform 12-months of individually prescribed, endurance training (including supplementary strengthening exercise for conditioning and injury prevention) designed to prepare participants for an ultra-endurance triathlon. A time-aligned control group of 20 healthy exercise-training naïve individuals (10 females: 10 males) will also be recruited to determine the natural change that occurs in each system across a year. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. Additionally, cardiovascular outcomes will also be assessed at 1 month and immune outcomes will be repeated at 3 months post intervention (15 months).

Connect with a study center

  • University of British Columbia

    Kelowna, British Columbia V1V1V7
    Canada

    Active - Recruiting

Map preview placeholder

Not the study for you?

Let us help you find the best match. Sign up as a volunteer and receive email notifications when clinical trials are posted in the medical category of interest to you.