研究:数学公式竟能帮助马拉松运动员

　　The ability to run long distances depends mainly on three factors, Rapoport said. The major one — the one that separates casual runners from elite athletes — is aerobic capacity, also known as VO2max. The VO2max is like the power output of a motor, Rapoport said. It's the maximum rate at which the muscles can take up oxygen to keep working.

　　拉波波特说，长距离跑步的能力主要取决于三个因素：第一个因素是有氧代谢能力，它能让优秀运动员在普通运动员中脱颖而出，它也被称为最大氧耗量。最大氧耗量就像机动车的能量输出功率，就是肌肉吸收氧气继续工作的最高速度。

　　The next factor is the energy cost of running, which is the equivalent to miles per gallon in an automobile. The final factor is the body's gas tank: the storage space available for carbohydrates, particularly glycogen stored in the liver and muscles that is the body's main fuel during exercise.

　　第二个因素是运动能量消耗，相当于汽车每英里消耗汽油加仑量。最后一个因素是人体气体存储：用于存储碳水化合物的空间，尤其是肝脏和肌肉内的糖原，它是人体进行运动时主要能量元素。

资料图：马拉松

　　By combining these factors, Rapoport created a mathematical model of how long and how fast runners of any size can go without hitting the wall. The model also helps define how much "carbo-loading," or consumption of carbohydrates, the runner should complete in the days before the race.

　　通过结合这三个因素，拉波波特创造出一个数学公式，这个公式可以让任何体型的运动员知道跑多远和多快才能避免‘速度障碍’。这个公式还帮助测定运动员在赛前需要吸收的碳水化合物的负担量，即碳水化合物的消耗量。

　　The model also reveals a physiological basis to one of running's biggest challenges, the Boston Marathon. Men aged 19 to 34 who want to run in the Boston Marathon must have a qualifying time of three hours and 10 minutes or less. Women of the same age must have a qualifying time of three hours and 40 minutes or less. These numbers aren't based on science, Rapoport said, but rather set to weed out all but about the top 10 percent of runners.

　　这个公式还揭示了面对最大的挑战波士顿马拉松时运动员的生理基础。年龄在19岁到34岁之间的男性必须有有3小时10分或更少的时间才能跑完波士顿马拉松排位赛全程，同龄女性必须用3小时40分或更少的时间。拉波波特说，这些数据不是建立在科学基础之上，但是可以进行选手淘汰，只留下前十名运动员。