Losing Contact And Letting Go As Features Of Pacing Strategy In Distance Running

PURPOSE: In distance running pacing is often characterized by a progressive dropping off the leader’s pace by the bulk of the field, until a select number of runners remain to contest the final lap(s). The exact pattern of this pacing strategy is poorly documented, and has not been satisfactorily related to differences in Critical Speed (CS), a surrogate of physiologic capacity. This study examines the performance pattern in elite distance runners. METHODS: Split times (100 m measured, evaluated as a ”rolling 400 m” for each finisher were compared vs the winner in the men’s 10,000 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (n = 35). CS was estimated from published (World Athletics) performances. Split times were individually compared to the winner, at the distance completed before “losing contact (LC)”, meaning having successive split times consistently just slower than the winner or ”letting go (LG) ”, meaning having a progressive decrease in velocity compared to the winner (Venhorst et al. Br J Sports Med. 2018; 52:1523-1528). RESULTS: The race was completed between 26:55-29:23. There were three major groups of runners who LC at 1 (n = 11), 6 (n = 20) and 9 (n = 5) km and LG at 4 (n = 10), 7, (n = 14) and 9.5 (n = 11) km, respectively. There was a moderate correlation between CS and finishing position (R2 = 0.68), individual average pace (R2 = 0.63), LC (R2 = 0.60), and LG (R2 = 0.62). CONCLUSIONS: In championship type races, athletes who drop off the pace of the winner display distinct patterns of LC and LG, which occur more or less in groups. The CS computed from pre-Olympic competitions serves as a moderately strong predictor of both quantitative performance and final placing. Patterns of LC and LG cluster in groups, suggesting the importance of group dynamics in elite runners.