By Associate Professor Hugh Morton,

Like many New Zealanders I was disappointed that Nick Willis did not make it to the medal podium in the Olympic 1500m race. My disappointment was short-lived though, once I thought about it properly.

The 1500m is not about running as fast as you can. In fact it is about running as slow as you can, so long as no one runs faster than you. This may sound strange; but think about it. Put in another way; why bust your gut if you can win without doing so? It is about tactics and running smart.

So what are the appropriate tactics and what has sport and exercise science got to say about it? Put simply, runners whose relative strength is aerobic rather than anaerobic perform better with a faster pace held for as long as possible and without a final spurt. The converse tactic is appropriate for runners whose relative strength is anaerobic.

In scientific terms athletes with a high critical speed should exploit that by maintaining a faster pace for as long as possible, while runners with a high anaerobic distance capacity should exploit that with a significant final spurt.

More interestingly perhaps, recent research both theoretical and empirical, suggests that for any runner whatever their relative strength, a faster paced first half of the race produces better performances. In simple terms, you gain the benefit of faster pace when you are fresh rather than relying on it when you are tired.

So what do we see on the track? Do we see all runners going as fast as they can manage aerobically for as long as they can, or do we see one group of runners who hold a faster pace for as long as they can and another group who hold back and then sprint?

Neither really. Rather we a see slowish pace and then a significant spurt by those who have the anaerobic capacity to do so. This is absolutely consistent with the objective I described above.

One could draw several possible conclusions from this. Maybe all the 1500m finalists are relatively strong anaerobically? Personally I doubt it.

Maybe those whose relative strength is anaerobic are the ones who are allowed to dictate the tactics? Yes, but surely the other runners and their coaches would not permit this to happen?

Maybe many runners and their coaches are not fully aware of the latest scientific research? 

Finally, maybe the winner is the smartest runner rather than the best.

MULTISPORT
Multisport festival attracting athletes of all descriptions
Inspirational comebacks, elite stars, national champions, first-timers and fun-chasing families  - this year's Thermatech 3D Rotorua Multisport Festival has got it all.

Thursday, 23 May 2013

RUNNING
2013 Nauti Travel Huntly Half Marathon
The 2013 Nauti Travel Huntly Half Marathon is once again taking place this Sunday for the 33rd time in what has become a race rich in history and 2013 provides much the same.

Thursday, 23 May 2013

RUNNING
Christchurch Airport Marathon - Return of the Champions
A healthy handful of past winners will go head to head at next week’s Christchurch Airport Marathon event.

Thursday, 23 May 2013

RUNNING
20th birthday celebrations set for iconic Taupo event
On Sunday 4th August a special birthday party will be taking to the streets of Taupo and everyone is invited!  The annual Mizuno Taupo Half Marathon will be celebrating its 20th birthday.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

MOUNTAIN BIKING
Young North Canterbury rider top 10 in Mountain Bike World Cup
Young North Canterbury mountain biker Ben Oliver had an impressive start to his international career with a top-10 finish in the opening round of the UCI World Cup.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

CYCLING
Archbold scores first win for new pro team
BikeNZ Olympian Shane Archbold has taken no time to strike for his new professional team with victory in stage two of the An Post Ras Tour of Ireland today.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

TRIATHLON
Bozzone bounces back with race record win in Florida
The 2008 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Terenzo Bozzone has put his injury problems behind him with a comeback win in Florida today.

Monday, 20 May 2013

BMX
Walker excited as tickets go on sale for UCI BMX World Championships in Auckland
Fans will get their first chance to see the best BMX riders on the planet when Auckland hosts the 2013 UCI BMX World Championships on 24-28 July.

Monday, 20 May 2013

RUNNING
Camille Buscomb on track to qualify for 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
From Hamilton, Camille Buscomb is New Zealand’s leading female middle-distance athlete.

Monday, 13 May 2013

MOUNTAIN BIKING
Brook MacDonald 2013 The Search for Scree
New Zealand Downhill Mountain Bike Champion Brook MacDonald searches for some new and challenging scree.

Monday, 13 May 2013

TRIATHLON
Sisson looking for swim solutions to back his blistering run speed
Ryan Sissons knows what he is capable of and his 10km run split at the ITU World Triathlon Series race in Yokohama yesterday again hinted at it, but the 24 year old Aucklander is again cooling his heels after a less than satisfactory swim.

Monday, 13 May 2013

TRIATHLON
McIlroy holds on for top ten on a 'flat day' in Yokohama
Kate McIlroy made the most of a bad day at the office when finishing 9th at the latest round of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Yokohama today, a result that leaves the Wellington athlete 7th in the overall series standings after three races.

Sunday, 12 May 2013

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