| The objective of this thesis was to examine the acquisition and maintenance of expertise in ultra-endurance (UE) triathletes. The sample included 28 UE triathletes, stratified into three groups based on previous finishing times, elite, middle of the pack (mid-pack), and back of the pack (back-pack) triathletes. The first component of this project examined the cognitive and physiological characteristics that distinguish expert UE triathletes from their less skilled counterparts while the second component examined the theory of deliberate practice (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Romer, 1993) as a conceptual framework to explain these differences. This project contained five studies divided into four manuscripts.;The first study examined cognitive differences among the groups during UE triathlon competition using a video montage of triathlon segments representing periods of high decision-making or cognition. The results of this study indicated that experts focused more on performance-related cognitions than mid- and back-pack triathletes.;Study two examined differences among the groups on measures of anthropometry, maximal oxygen uptake, and performance on a 40-kilometer time trial simulation. Results confirmed that experts had significantly lower resting heart rates, body mass and skinfolds, higher relative maximal oxygen uptake and faster performance on the time trial simulation when compared to back of the pack triathletes. Trends, which failed to meet statistical significance, suggested similar differences among the elite and middle of the pack groups.;In Study 3 the role of 'triathlon-specific' training and participation in other sports on the development of expertise was examined. Results supported the relationship between training hours and performance. However, it appears that early specialization was not a requirement for expertise. Study 4 examined the structure of training in ultra-endurance triathletes using the concept of periodization of training. Findings revealed that experts' training was designed so that periods of high training stress were followed by periods of low stress. Triathletes in the non-expert groups continually increased their training load throughout the season without the periods of lower stress seen in the expert profile. Consequently, experts were able to perform greater amounts of high intensity training than non-experts.;Finally, in Study 5 the role of specific and non-specific forms of training in predicting performance in UE triathletes was investigated. Regression analyses provided general support for the specificity of training hypothesis, however, there was also evidence of transfer among specific and non-specific forms of training. Furthermore, the amount of variance accounted for by sport specific forms of training was typically less than 50%, indicating a large degree of inter-individual variation remains unaccounted for by 'deliberate practice'.;Collectively, these studies provide only limited support for the theory of deliberate practice as an explanatory framework for the expert performance in this sport. |
