YEDI KULE - MONUMENT ROAD RACE: THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 3D MAPPING ANIMATION OF THE OLD CITY OF THESSALONIKI, GREECE

This project refers to the construction of a 3D map of Thessaloniki’s historical route. The Yedi Kule Conquest – Monument Road Race took place in the old city of Thessaloniki, which was built during the Byzantine and Ottoman period. The purpose of this project is the digital recording of the castles, the monuments, the old churches, the traditional buildings, and the squares which are prime examples of the architectural beauty of the place. The methodology of the project is based on the online software Google Earth Studio and Adobe Premiere Pro. These are the tools of digitization, rendering, and building process of the animation. With this methodology, the authors achieved the documentation of land use and the architectural landscape. The animation is a credible graphic index of the historical background of Thessaloniki. The Yedi Kule area constitutes of a cultural mosaic made from different historic periods. The buildings and the neighbourhoods give the sense of transition of the narrow roads, the old Christian churches, the house of the first Turkish governor, and the byzantine castle to the modern city. In Thessaloniki, three historic periods coexist the Ancient Greek/Roman, the Byzantine, and Ottoman Empire. The responsibility of the governmental politics and of every citizen of Thessaloniki is to promote and preserve the historic background of the city. The final product offers a good opportunity for the digital storage of Thessaloniki’s old city. The animation creates an interactive environment that portrays the current image of the transition from the old to a modern city.

Effect of Advanced Shoe Technology on the Evolution of Road Race Times in Male and Female Elite Runners

The influence of advanced footwear technology (thickness of light midsole foam and rigid plate) on distance running performances was analyzed during an 8-year period. Analysis of variance was used to measure effects of time, gender, shoe technology, and East African origin on male and female top 20 or top 100 seasonal best times in 10-kilometer races, half-marathons, and marathons. In both genders and three distance-running events, seasonal best times significantly decreased from 2017, which coincided with the introduction of the advanced footwear technology in distance running. This performance improvement was of similar magnitude in both East African and non-East African elite runners. In female elite athletes, the magnitudes (from 1.7 to 2.3%) of the decrease in seasonal best times between 2016 and 2019 were significantly higher than in their male counterparts (from 0.6 to 1.5%). Analyses of variance confirmed that the adoption of the advanced footwear technology significantly improved the top 20 seasonal best times in female half marathons and marathons and male marathons, with the improvements being more pronounced in females and in long-distance running events. The adoption of this new shoe technology improved female marathon time by ~2 min and 10 s, which represents a significant increase in performance (1.7%).

The Effect of Protein Supplementation versus Carbohydrate Supplementation on Muscle Damage Markers and Soreness Following a 15-km Road Race: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

We assessed whether a protein supplementation protocol could attenuate running-induced muscle soreness and other muscle damage markers compared to iso-caloric placebo supplementation. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was performed among 323 recreational runners (age 44 ± 11 years, 56% men) participating in a 15-km road race. Participants received milk protein or carbohydrate supplementation, for three consecutive days post-race. Habitual protein intake was assessed using 24 h recalls. Race characteristics were determined and muscle soreness was assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory at baseline and 1–3 days post-race. In a subgroup (n = 149) muscle soreness was measured with a strain gauge algometer and creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentrations were measured. At baseline, no group-differences were observed for habitual protein intake (protein group: 79.9 ± 26.5 g/d versus placebo group: 82.0 ± 26.8 g/d, p = 0.49) and muscle soreness (protein: 0.45 ± 1.08 versus placebo: 0.44 ± 1.14, p = 0.96). Subjects completed the race with a running speed of 12 ± 2 km/h. With the Intention-to-Treat analysis no between-group differences were observed in reported muscle soreness. With the per-protocol analysis, however, the protein group reported higher muscle soreness 24 h post-race compared to the placebo group (2.96 ± 2.27 versus 2.46 ± 2.38, p = 0.039) and a lower pressure muscle pain threshold in the protein group compared to the placebo group (71.8 ± 30.0 N versus 83.9 ± 27.9 N, p = 0.019). No differences were found in concentrations of CK and LDH post-race between groups. Post-exercise protein supplementation is not more preferable than carbohydrate supplementation to reduce muscle soreness or other damage markers in recreational athletes with mostly a sufficient baseline protein intake running a 15-km road race.

Developments in German Criminal Law: Speed Merchant or Murderer? The Ku’Damm Road Race Case and the New Criminal Legislation Regulating Illegal Motor Racing

The Regional Court of Berlin (Landgericht (LG) Berlin) was the first court in Germany to mete out a life sentence for murder—pursuant to § 211 German Criminal Code (StGB)—to two men convicted of killing an uninvolved driver whose car they hit while they were participating in an illegal car race on a public highway. Upon their convictions, the defendants appealed to the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof; BGH) claiming that they did not intend to kill the person and were thus acting without the necessary mens rea for murder. The question whether or not the case could be qualified as murder, and thus whether or not the existence of a killing with intent had been sufficiently proven by the LG Berlin, was the subject of several appeals and retrials. In its latest decision, the BGH confirmed the murder conviction of one of the defendants, while quashing the other defendant’s conviction and issuing a retrial. This case caused ripples amongst legal scholars as it called for the toughest possible sanctions to be imposed. However, whether the conduct qualifies as murder remains questionable. As a reaction to several similar cases of illegal car races in recent years, the German parliament subsequently passed a new law—§ 315d StGB—proscribing illegal vehicle races, thereby penalizing the participation, organization, or carrying out of an illegal vehicle race. Until that point there had been no provision criminalizing illegal racing.

Preliminary study on crosswind aerodynamics for a group of road race cyclists

Under crosswind conditions, road cyclists experience an extra drag force and a destabilising lateral force. In these conditions a group of cyclists manages to reorganise its spatial formation to minimise these forces forming an echelon, i.e a diagonal single pace line of riders staggered across the road, a configuration which is markedly different from those adopted in wind-free conditions. To study the effect of the crosswind on drag and lateral forces on the riders we performed wind-tunnel experiments using a scale model cyclist and measuring the forces by means of a load cell. Several configurations with one, two, and four cyclists have been investigated varying yaw angles. Results show that, in a basic 4 rider configuration at a 50 $$^{\circ }$$ ∘ yaw angle, a sheltered rider within the echelon experiences less than 30% of the drag of the guttered rider behind the echelon, struggling against the crosswind. Furthermore, we show that an echelon is worth being adopted under crosswind conditions only beyond a 30 $$^{\circ }$$ ∘ yaw angle. At this critical 30 $$^{\circ }$$ ∘ yaw angle the drag on the guttered rider doubles when the gap to the front group increases from 10 cm to 1 m (in real scale). These results can be of interest in defining road cycling race strategies and they allow some significant configurations to be identified and further investigated in more complex experiments.

Incidence of Recurrent Exertional Heat Stroke in a Warm-Weather Road Race

Background and Objectives: Exertional heat stroke (EHS) survivors may be more susceptible to subsequent EHS; however, the occurrence of survivors with subsequent EHS episodes is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of participants with repeated EHS (EHS-2+) cases in a warm-weather road race across participation years compared to those who experienced 1 EHS (EHS-1). Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational case series design was utilized. Medical record data from 17-years at the Falmouth Road Race between 2003–2019 were examined for EHS cases. Incidence of EHS-2+ cases per race and average EHS cases per EHS-2+ participant were calculated (mean ± SD) and descriptive factors (rectal temperature (TRE), finish time (FT), Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), age, race year) for each EHS was collected. Results: A total of 333 EHS patients from 174,853 finishers were identified. Sixteen EHS-2+ participants (11 males, 5 females, age = 39 ± 16 year) accounted for 11% of the total EHS cases (n = 37/333). EHS-2+ participants had an average of 2.3 EHS cases per person (range = 2–4) and had an incidence rate of 2.6 EHS per 10 races. EHS-2+ participants finished 93 races following initial EHS, with 72 of the races (77%) completed without EHS incident. Initial EHS TRE was not statistically different than subsequent EHS initial TRE (+0.3 ± 0.9 °C, p > 0.050). Initial EHS-2+ participant FT was not statistically different than subsequent EHS FT (−4.2 ± 7.0 min, p > 0.050). The years between first and second EHS was 3.6 ± 3.5 year (Mode: 1, Range: 1–12). Relative risk ratios revealed that EHS patients were at a significantly elevated risk for subsequent EHS episodes 2 years following their initial EHS (relative risk ratio = 3.32, p = 0.050); however, the risk from 3–5 years post initial EHS was not statistically elevated, though the relative risk ratio values remained above 1.26. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that 11% of all EHS cases at the Falmouth Road Race are EHS-2+ cases and that future risk for a second EHS episode at this race is most likely to occur within the first 2 years following the initial EHS incident. After this initial 2-year period, risk for another EHS episode is not significantly elevated. Future research should examine factors to explain individuals who are susceptible to multiple EHS cases, incidence at other races and corresponding prevention strategies both before and after initial EHS.

Potential Use of Wearable Sensors to Assess Cumulative Kidney Trauma in Endurance Off-Road Running

(1) Background: This study aimed to explore wearable sensors′ potential use to assess cumulative mechanical kidney trauma during endurance off-road running. (2) Methods: 18 participants (38.78 ± 10.38 years, 73.24 ± 12.6 kg, 172.17 ± 9.48 cm) ran 36 k off-road race wearing a Magnetic, Angular Rate and Gravity (MARG) sensor attached to their lower back. Impacts in g forces were recorded throughout the race using the MARG sensor. Two blood samples were collected immediately pre- and post-race: serum creatinine (sCr) and albumin (sALB). (3) Results: Sixteen impact variables were grouped using principal component analysis in four different principal components (PC) that explained 90% of the total variance. The 4th PC predicted 24% of the percentage of change (∆%) of sCr and the 3rd PC predicted the ∆% of sALB by 23%. There were pre- and post-race large changes in sCr and sALB (p ≤ 0.01) and 33% of participants met acute kidney injury diagnosis criteria. (4) Conclusions: The data related to impacts could better explain the cumulative mechanical kidney trauma during mountain running, opening a new range of possibilities using technology to better understand how the number and magnitude of the g-forces involved in off-road running could potentially affect kidney function.