Detection of changes in the fractal scaling of heart rate and speed in a marathon race

The aim of this study was to detect changes in the fractal scaling behavior of heart rate and speed fluctuations when the average runner’s speed decreased with fatigue. Scaling analysis in heart rate (HR) and speed (S) dynamics of marathon runners was performed using the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and the wavelet based structure function. We considered both: the short-range (α₁) and the long-range (α₂) scaling exponents for the DFA method separated by a change-point, (box length), the same for all the races. The variability of HR and S decreased in the second part of the marathon race, while the cardiac cost time series (i.e. the number of cardiac beats per meter) increased due to the decreasing speed behavior. The scaling exponents α₁ and α₂ of HR and α₁ of S, increased during the race () as did the HR wavelet scaling exponent (τ). These findings provide evidence of the significant effect of fatigue induced by long exercise on the heart rate and speed variability.