Positive pacing in elite IRONMAN triathletes.
Pacing is known to influence athletic performance. For the Ironman triathlon program, a positive
pacing strategy, i.e., the continuous decrease of speed over time was recommended. By analyzing split
times, we assessed the pacing strategies of the top 100 finishers of the cycling part of 13 Ironman races
and of the running part of 11 Ironman races taking place in 2014. Furthermore, sex-associated differences
in performance and pacing strategies were calculated. We analyzed 7,687 cycling and 11,894 running
split times of 1,392 triathletes (1,263 men, 129 women). Changes in speed were assessed using mixed-effects
regression analyses. A continuous decrease in speed was observed during cycling in 10/13 races,
and during running in 11/11 races. In 6/13 races, women decreased their speed during cycling significantly
more than men. The running part showed no significant difference of changes in speed between the sexes.
In summary, in the Ironman races evaluated, a positive pacing strategy was adopted in most races. Women
were slower than men in 6/13 cycling races, but there was no difference between men and women in the
run splits. Women used the same pacing strategy as men.
Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Nicole
N
Angehrn
Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Christoph A.
CA
Rüst
Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Nikaia, Greece.
Pantelis T.
PT
Nikolaidis
Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Thomas
T
Rosemann
Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Beat
B
Knechtle
D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001642:Bicycling / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012420:Running / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
long-distance triathlon; man; speed; woman