Pacing Strategy During 24-Hour Ultramarathon-Distance Running

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Endurance Sports Research

Background:

• Understanding pacing strategy is crucial for optimizing performance in ultra-endurance events.
• 24-hour running races present unique physiological and psychological challenges for athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the pacing strategy employed by participants in 24-hour running races.
• To investigate how pacing interacts with demographic factors (sex, age) and performance levels.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 398 male and 103 female runners across 5 race editions.
• Normalization of hourly running speed to the overall mean speed for comparative analysis.
• Statistical analysis including ANOVAs and Pearson correlations to identify significant interactions and associations.

Main Results:

• Overall pacing followed a reverse J-shaped pattern, with a notable speed decrease in the final hour.
• Significant interactions were found between pacing and athlete performance group, and race edition.
• No significant interactions were observed between pacing and sex or age group.

Conclusions:

• While a general reverse J-shaped pacing exists, elite runners exhibit more even pacing, starting at lower relative intensities.
• Herd behavior appears to influence pacing strategies across different race editions.
• Pacing strategy is not significantly affected by runner's sex or age group.