The University of Cape Town/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports medicine is conducting a research on the relation of chronotype (i.e. morning or evening type) and a certain genotype in South African and Dutch marathon runners. This group will be compared with a group of physically active, but non-competitive athletes.
We are testing the hypothesis that individual sport endurance athletes, such as marathon runners are more likely to be morning types. Another part of this study is answering whether chronotype affects endurance performance: do morning types perform better on a marathon that starts in the early morning than evening types do? Finally, we are also studying the affect of geographical location on chronotype in athletes and marathon performance by comparing the data from South African marathon runners to that of Dutch marathon runners.
Currently we are recruiting approximately 100 participants; white males between the age of 25 and 50 years old, who have participated in at least one marathon in the last 12 months and preferably are going to run the Langebaan country estate Weskus marathon on the 20th of April 2013. We are sending this email out to twenty running clubs and hope to get at least five runners from each club.
For more information, please download the flyer.