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      Effects of The Performance Level and Race Distance on Pacing in Ultra-Triathlons

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          Abstract

          The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the performance level and race distance on pacing in ultra-triathlons (Double, Triple, Quintuple and Deca), wherein pacing is defined as the relative time (%) spent in each discipline (swimming, cycling and running). All finishers (n = 3,622) of Double, Triple, Quintuple and Deca Iron ultra-triathlons between 1985 and 2016 were analysed and classified into quartile groups (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) with Q1 being the fastest and Q4 the slowest. Performance of all non-finishers (n = 1,000) during the same period was also examined. Triple and Quintuple triathlons (24.4%) produced the highest rate of non-finishers, and Deca Iron ultra-triathlons produced the lowest rate (18.0%) (χ 2 = 12.1, p = 0.007, φC = 0.05). For the relative swimming and cycling times (%), Deca triathletes (6.7 ± 1.5% and 48.8 ± 4.9%, respectively) proved the fastest and Double (9.2 ± 1.6% and 49.6 ± 3.6%) Iron ultra-triathletes were the slowest (p < 0.008) with Q4 being the fastest group (8.3 ± 1.6% and 48.8 ± 4.3%) and Q1 the slowest one (9.5 ± 1.5% and 50.9 ± 3.0%) (p < 0.001). In running, Double triathletes were relatively the fastest (41.2 ± 4.0%) and Deca (44.5 ± 5.4%) Iron ultra-triathletes the slowest (p < 0.001) with Q1 being the fastest (39.6 ± 3.3%) and Q4 the slowest group (42.9 ± 4.7%) (p < 0.001). Based on these findings, it was concluded that the fastest ultra-triathletes spent relatively more time swimming and cycling and less time running, highlighting the importance of the role of the latter discipline for the overall ultra-triathlon performance. Furthermore, coaches and ultra-triathletes should be aware of differences in pacing between Double, Triple, Quintuple and Deca Iron triathlons.

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          Most cited references30

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          Describing and understanding pacing strategies during athletic competition.

          It is widely recognized that an athlete's 'pacing strategy', or how an athlete distributes work and energy throughout an exercise task, can have a significant impact on performance. By applying mathematical modelling (i.e. power/velocity and force/time relationships) to athletic performances, coaches and researchers have observed a variety of pacing strategies. These include the negative, all-out, positive, even, parabolic-shaped and variable pacing strategies. Research suggests that extremely short-duration events ( 2 minutes), performance times may be improved if athletes distribute their pace more evenly. Knowledge pertaining to optimal pacing strategies during middle-distance (1.5-2 minutes) and ultra-endurance (>4 hours) events is currently lacking. However, evidence suggests that during these events well trained athletes tend to adopt a positive pacing strategy, whereby after peak speed is reached, the athlete progressively slows. The underlying mechanisms influencing the regulation of pace during exercise are currently unclear. It has been suggested, however, that self-selected exercise intensity is regulated within the brain based on a complex algorithm involving peripheral sensory feedback and the anticipated workload remaining. Furthermore, it seems that the rate and capacity limitations of anaerobic and aerobic energy supply/utilization are particularly influential in dictating the optimal pacing strategy during exercise. This article outlines the various pacing profiles that have previously been observed and discusses possible factors influencing the self-selection of such strategies.
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            Participation and performance trends in ultra-triathlons from 1985 to 2009.

            We examined the changes in participation and performance trends in ultra-triathlons, from the Double Iron (7.6 km swimming, 360 km cycling, 84.4 km running) to the Deca Iron (38 km swimming, 1800 km cycling, 422 km running), between 1985 (first year of a Double Iron) and 2009 (25 years). The mean finish rate for all distances and races was 75.8%. Women accounted for ∼8-10% of the ultra-triathlons starters. For Double and Triple Iron, the number of finishers per year increased, from 17 to 98 and from 7 to 41, respectively. In the Deca Iron, the finishers per race have remained <20 since the first event was held, up to 2009. Concerning World best performances, the men were ∼19% faster than the women in both the Double and Triple Iron, and ∼30% faster in a Deca Iron. With the increasing length of ultra-triathlons, the best women became relatively slower compared with the best men. Further investigations are required to understand why this gender difference in total performance time increased with the distance in ultra-triathlons. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
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              The role of emotions on pacing strategies and performance in middle and long duration sport events.

              Thepacing strategy may be defined as the process in which the total energy expenditure during exercise is regulated on a moment-to-moment basis in order to ensure that the exercise bout can be completed in a minimum time and without a catastrophic biological failure. Experienced athletes develop a stable template of the power outputs they are able to sustain for different durations of exercise, but it is not known how they originally develop this template or how that template changes with training and experience. While it is understood that the athlete's physiological state makes an important contribution to this process, there has been much less interest in the contribution that the athlete's emotional status makes. The aim of this review is to evaluate the literature of physiological, neurophysiological and perceptual responses during exercise in order to propose a complex model interpretation of this process which may be a critical factor determining success in middle- and long-duration sporting competitions. We describe unconscious/physiological and conscious/emotional mechanisms of control, the focus of which are to ensure that exercise terminates before catastrophic failure occurs in any bodily system. We suggest that training sessions teach the athlete to select optimal pacing strategies by associating a level of emotion with the ability to maintain that pace for exercise of different durations. That pacing strategy is then adopted in future events. Finally, we propose novel perspectives to maximise performance and to avoid overtraining by paying attention also to the emotional state in training process.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                J Hum Kinet
                J Hum Kinet
                hukin
                hukin
                Journal of Human Kinetics
                Sciendo
                1640-5544
                1899-7562
                05 July 2019
                June 2019
                : 67
                : 247-258
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen , St. Gallen, Switzerland
                [2 ]Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
                [3 ]Graduate Program in Physical Education, Catholic University of Brasilia , Brasilia, DF, Brazil
                [4 ]Exercise Physiology Laboratory , Nikaia, Greece
                Author notes
                [* ] Prof. Dr. med. Beat Knechtle Facharzt FMH für Allgemeinmedizin Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen Vadianstrasse 26 9001 St. Gallen Switzerland Telefon +41 (0) 71 226 93 00 Telefax +41 (0) 71 226 93 01 beat.knechtle@ 123456hispeed.ch
                Article
                hukin-2018-0079
                10.2478/hukin-2018-0079
                6714366
                31523322
                bb9e8b8f-ab28-4d0f-a9a5-40973c8469f1
                © 2019 Beat Knechtle, Caio Victor de Sousa, Herbert Gustavo Simões, Thomas Rosemann, Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis, published by Sciendo

                This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

                History
                Page count
                Pages: 12
                Categories
                Section III – Sports Training

                swimming,cycling,running,ultra-endurance,performance
                swimming, cycling, running, ultra-endurance, performance

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