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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cognit.

Sec. Cognition and Movement

Volume 4 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcogn.2025.1649669

Ultra-Endurance Race Performance and Muscle Mass as Predictors of Cognitive Capacity

Provisionally accepted
Deina  ViliteDeina Vilite1Diana  LismaneDiana Lismane1Jelena  RaudenieceJelena Raudeniece1Linda  LaizaneLinda Laizane1Gita  GersoneGita Gersone1Ilze  BaroneIlze Barone1Ilze  JustamenteIlze Justamente1Kristiana  KovtunaKristiana Kovtuna1Bart  RoelandsBart Roelands2Maksims  ZolovsMaksims Zolovs1Dace  ReihmaneDace Reihmane1*
  • 1Rigas Stradina universitate, Riga, Latvia
  • 2Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

This study investigated which objective measures best predict cognitive performance in ultraendurance athletes. Forty-three recreational cyclists completed a race of approximately 341 km over 18 hours, with cognitive function assessed using a three-stage Stroop Test before, immediately after, and 24 hours post-race. For each stage, results from the three time points were combined and analyzed using regression analyses to examine their relationship with various anthropometric, metabolic, and performance-related parameters. Higher average race speed was associated with improved simple reaction time, while longer race duration predicted better performance in more cognitively demanding tasks, such as inhibitory control. Muscle mass was the only anthropometric variable significantly linked to enhanced cognition. Other factors—including age, percentage of heart rate reserve, training volume, fat mass, lean mass, bone mass, and metabolic markers—showed no associations. These findings suggest that race pacing and muscle mass play key roles in supporting cognitive resilience during prolonged physical exertion.

Keywords: endurance exercise, cognitive functions, muscle mass, executive functions, Reaction Time, Stroop Test, Race Pacing

Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Vilite, Lismane, Raudeniece, Laizane, Gersone, Barone, Justamente, Kovtuna, Roelands, Zolovs and Reihmane. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Dace Reihmane, Rigas Stradina universitate, Riga, Latvia

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