Modeling the benefits of cooperative drafting : is there an optimal strategy to facilitate a sub-2-hour marathon performance?
Deutscher übersetzter Titel: | Modellierung des Nutzens des kooperativen Führungswechsels : gibt es eine optimale Strategie, eine Marathonzeit unter zwei Stunden zu ermöglichen? |
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Autor: | Hoogkamer, Wouter; Snyder, Kristine L.; Arellano, Christopher J. |
Erschienen in: | Sports medicine |
Veröffentlicht: | 48 (2018), 12, S. 2859-2867, Lit. |
Format: | Literatur (SPOLIT) |
Publikationstyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
Medienart: | Elektronische Ressource (online) Gedruckte Ressource |
Sprache: | Englisch |
ISSN: | 0112-1642, 1179-2035 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s40279-018-0991-4 |
Schlagworte: | |
Online Zugang: | |
Erfassungsnummer: | PU201901000580 |
Quelle: | BISp |
Abstract des Autors
Background: During a race, competing cyclists often cooperate by alternating between leading and drafting positions. This approach allows them to maximize velocity by using the energy saved while drafting, a technique to reduce the overall drag by exploiting the leader’s slipstream. We have argued that a similar cooperative drafting approach could benefit elite marathon runners in their quest for the sub-2-hour marathon. Objective: Our aim was to model the effects of various cooperative drafting scenarios on marathon performance by applying the critical velocity concept for intermittent high-intensity running. Methods: We used the physiological characteristics of the world’s most elite long-distance runners and mathematically simulated the depletion and recovery of their distance capacity when running above and below their critical velocity throughout a marathon. Results: Our simulations showed that with four of the most elite runners in the world, a 2:00:48 (h:min:s) marathon is possible, a whopping 2 min faster than the current world record. We also explored the possibility of a sub-2-hour marathon using multiple runners with the physiological characteristics of Eliud Kipchoge, arguably the best marathon runner of our time. We found that a team of eight Kipchoge-like runners could break the sub-2-hour marathon barrier. Conclusion: In the context of cooperative drafting, we show that the best team strategy for improving marathon performance time can be optimized using a mathematical model that is based on the physiological characteristics of each athlete.