Women's 50km racewalking tactic using pace strategy analysis at World Championships

Background and Study Aim. We aim to design a walking tactic depending on pace strategy analysis for women's 50km racewalking at two IAAF championships: World Racewalking Team Championships Taicang2018 and World Athletics Championships Doha2019.Material and Methods. We collected data from the records of the women's 50km racewalking results from both mentioned championships in which the times of 10 stages of 5km each. The research sample included 30 racewalkers (top 15 from each championship) aged 21 to 41. Results. Results indicate that elite racewalkers followed a variable pace strategy. As they started a 50km racewalking with a slow and appropriate speed. Then there was a gradual increase in the next stages until reaching the speed plateau (25km). After that, the speed was changed between increasing and decreasing until the end of the race. The results also indicate that there is a strong positive correlation between the performance time of all the stages in both championships. In addition, it is indicated that there are statistically significant differences using the T-test between all stages between both championships, except for the stage (10th 5km). So last 5km have no major impact on changes for the final classification. Conclusions. We divided the race into seven successive tactical phases depending on the speed and the effort rate during the race stages. These phases are slow start, primary acceleration and speed regulation, the maximum speed, transitional, final acceleration, deceleration, and finish. Our analysis can extend theoretical knowledge, so coaches and racewalkers can make use of it in designing the training programs.

Pace Controlled by a Steady-State Physiological Variable Is Associated with Better Performance in a 3000 M Run

This paper aims to test the hypothesis whereby freely chosen running pace is less effective than pace controlled by a steady-state physiological variable. Methods Eight runners performed four maximum-effort 3000 m time trials on a running track. The first time trial (TT1) was freely paced. In the following 3000 m time trials, the pace was controlled so that the average speed (TT2), average V˙O2 (TT3) or average HR (TT4) recorded in TT1 was maintained throughout the time trial. Results: Physiologically controlled pace was associated with a faster time (mean ± standard deviation: 740 ± 34 s for TT3 and 748 ± 33 s for TT4, vs. 854 ± 53 s for TT1; p < 0.01), a lower oxygen cost of running (200 ± 5 and 220 ± 3 vs. 310 ± 5 mLO2·kg−1·km−1, respectively; p < 0.02), a lower cardiac cost (0.69 ± 0.08 and 0.69 ± 0.04 vs. 0.86 ± 0.09 beat·m−1, respectively; p < 0.01), and a more positively skewed speed distribution (skewness: 1.7 ± 0.9 and 1.3 ± 0.6 vs. 0.2 ± 0.4, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Physiologically controlled pace (at the average V˙O2 or HR recorded in a freely paced run) was associated with a faster time, a more favorable speed distribution and lower levels of physiological strain, relative to freely chosen pace. This finding suggests that non-elite runners do not spontaneously choose the best pace strategy.

A sound coding strategy based on a temporal masking model for cochlear implants

Auditory masking occurs when one sound is perceptually altered by the presence of another sound. Auditory masking in the frequency domain is known as simultaneous masking and in the time domain is known as temporal masking or non-simultaneous masking. This works presents a sound coding strategy that incorporates a temporal masking model to select the most relevant channels for stimulation in a cochlear implant (CI). A previous version of the strategy, termed psychoacoustic advanced combination encoder (PACE), only used a simultaneous masking model for the same purpose, for this reason the new strategy has been termed temporal-PACE (TPACE). We hypothesized that a sound coding strategy that focuses on stimulating the auditory nerve with pulses that are as masked as possible can improve speech intelligibility for CI users. The temporal masking model used within TPACE attenuates the simultaneous masking thresholds estimated by PACE over time. The attenuation is designed to fall exponentially with a strength determined by a single parameter, the temporal masking half-life T½. This parameter gives the time interval at which the simultaneous masking threshold is halved. The study group consisted of 24 postlingually deaf subjects with a minimum of six months experience after CI activation. A crossover design was used to compare four variants of the new temporal masking strategy TPACE (T½ ranging between 0.4 and 1.1 ms) with respect to the clinical MP3000 strategy, a commercial implementation of the PACE strategy, in two prospective, within-subject, repeated-measure experiments. The outcome measure was speech intelligibility in noise at 15 to 5 dB SNR. In two consecutive experiments, the TPACE with T½ of 0.5 ms obtained a speech performance increase of 11% and 10% with respect to the MP3000 (T½ = 0 ms), respectively. The improved speech test scores correlated with the clinical performance of the subjects: CI users with above-average outcome in their routine speech tests showed higher benefit with TPACE. It seems that the consideration of short-acting temporal masking can improve speech intelligibility in CI users. The half-live with the highest average speech perception benefit (0.5 ms) corresponds to time scales that are typical for neuronal refractory behavior.

Timeless evolution of walking and pace strategy of women’s race walking

Background and Study Aim. The purpose of this research was to study the timeline evolution of walking, as well as the Pacing Strategy Profiles of high-level women in the 20 km of race walking. Material: The practical example of applying the theoretical basis was made during the Women’s Greek Championship (Megara 2016), in which 12 athletes aged 19 to 40 participated (28.50 ± 7.20). Material and Methods. The certified distance of the 20km route was divided into 10 sections of 2 km each. The same happened with the times (intermediate, final) corresponding to the individual sections (2 km) of the route. The athletes were divided into 4 groups: the first 3, those who finished 15% slower than the first, those who finished 15% - 30% slower, and those who finished more than 30% slower than the winner. Finally became comparison of the first 6 and last 6 athletes’ groups. Results. The individual pace strategies that describe the tactics of the athletes in this race have been calculated. It was found that the winners of the race used Even Pacing Strategy, maintaining a steady speed on most of the route. As the level of women athletes became lower, Variable Pacing Strategy was used, while the athletes who finished last did not seem to be able to maintain any particular pacing strategy. Conclusions. It is suggested that athletes should follow Even Pacing Strategy during the race in order to improve their performance.

Physiological and Race Pace Characteristics of Medium and Low-Level Athens Marathon Runners

This study examined physiological and race pace characteristics of medium- (finish time < 240 min) and low-level (finish time > 240 min) recreational runners who participated in a challenging marathon route with rolling hills, the Athens Authentic Marathon. Fifteen athletes (age: 42 ± 7 years) performed an incremental test, three to nine days before the 2018 Athens Marathon, to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), maximal aerobic velocity (MAV), energy cost of running (ECr) and lactate threshold velocity (vLTh), and were analyzed for their pacing during the race. Moderate- (n = 8) compared with low-level (n = 7) runners had higher (p < 0.05) VO2 max (55.6 ± 3.6 vs. 48.9 ± 4.8 mL·kg−1·min−1), MAV (16.5 ± 0.7 vs. 14.4 ± 1.2 km·h−1) and vLTh (11.6 ± 0.8 vs. 9.2 ± 0.7 km·h−1) and lower ECr at 10 km/h (1.137 ± 0.096 vs. 1.232 ± 0.068 kcal·kg−1·km−1). Medium-level runners ran the marathon at a higher percentage of vLTh (105.1 ± 4.7 vs. 93.8 ± 6.2%) and VO2 max (79.7 ± 7.7 vs. 68.8 ± 5.7%). Low-level runners ran at a lower percentage (p < 0.05) of their vLTh in the 21.1–30 km (total ascent/decent: 122 m/5 m) and the 30–42.195 km (total ascent/decent: 32 m/155 m) splits. Moderate-level runners are less affected in their pacing than low-level runners during a marathon route with rolling hills. This could be due to superior physiological characteristics such as VO2 max, ECr, vLTh and fractional utilization of VO2 max. A marathon race pace strategy should be selected individually according to each athlete’s level.

Running Your Best Triathlon Race

Negative or evenly paced racing strategies often lead to more favorable performance outcomes for endurance athletes. However, casual inspection of race split times and observational studies both indicate that elite triathletes competing in Olympic-distance triathlon typically implement a positive pacing strategy during the last of the 3 disciplines, the 10-km run. To address this apparent contradiction, the authors examined data from 14 International Triathlon Union elite races over 3 consecutive years involving a total of 725 male athletes. Analyses of race results confirm that triathletes typically implement a positive running pace strategy, running the first lap of the standard 4-lap circuit substantially faster than laps 2 (∼7%), 3 (∼9%), and 4 (∼12%). Interestingly, mean running pace in lap 1 had a substantially lower correlation with 10-km run time (r = .82) than both laps 2 and 3. Overall triathlon race performance (ranking) was best associated with run performance (r = .82) compared with the swim and cycle sections. Lower variability in race pace during the 10-km run was also reflective of more successful run times. Given that overall race outcome is mainly explained by the 10-km run performance, with top run performances associated with a more evenly paced strategy, triathletes (and their coaches) should reevaluate their pacing strategy during the run section.

Equine endurance race pacing strategy differs between finishers and non-finishers in 120 km single-day races

Race pace strategy has been extensively studied in human sports, such as running, cycling and swimming. In contrast, pacing strategy appears to have been virtually ignored in equestrian sport despite the potential for contributing to performance optimisation. The aim of the present study was to analyse data available in the public domain for electronically-timed FEI 120 km (single day) CEI** endurance races that took place in Europe and the Middle East in 2016 and 2017. Competition records for 389 horses in 24 races, each consisting of 4 phases (loops/laps), were evaluated; 56% (n=219) of horses successfully completed the races analysed, with the remaining 44% (n=170) not finishing. The majority of horses that did not finish were withdrawn for gait related reasons (n=125; 74%). Across the duration of the races, horses that successfully finished recorded 7% slower average speeds (P=0.0001) compared to those that did not finish. Loop (lap) speed decreased sequentially throughout races from loop 1 > loop 2 > loop 3 for both the horses that completed and those that failed to complete, but the rate of decrease was greater in horses that did not complete. Horses withdrawn at the first veterinary check for ‘gait’ recorded a 36% faster average speed than those withdrawn at the finish (P=0.0001). Horses withdrawn for ‘metabolic’ reasons at the finish recorded a significant increase in loop speed from loop 3 to the final loop (P=0.02), with their speed increasing by an average of 7% on the final loop. Horses that failed to finish races completed loop 1 at a faster speed than those horses that finished and subsequently had a greater reduction in speed across the remaining loops. In contrast, horses that finished successfully had a slower loop 1 speed and completed subsequent loops at a higher percentage of their loop 1 speed. Consideration of race pace strategy in equine endurance racing may be a tool to reduce gait and metabolic eliminations and increase the chance of completion.