After reflecting on the information in my previous post about runners and body fat, I think it's very intriguing that runners have similar body fat levels regardless of their main competitive distance (except for marathoners). I had previously thought that the distance itself mattered more in terms of body fat, but I guess it's simply the large volume of training needed to compete at the top level that leads to lower body fat.
The competitive distance that one trains for can have different impacts on other outcomes. I've mentioned before that sprinters have higher testosterone levels than average, and endurance athletes have lower testosterone than average. But I think the most obvious difference that a training distance can have on an outcome is muscle mass, as I will explore in the next post.
