Study: Analysis of half marathon results

A new study from September 2014 concludes that all runners across age groups, genders and levels fail to get the most out of their half marathons. Based on 27,024 half marathon runners, the study concludes that the average runner completes the last part of a half marathon 12% slower than the first kilometers. It also concludes that particularly slow runners fail to manage the race properly and end up running the last half of the race up to 40% slower than the first part.

About the study

The study, which is based on 27,024 results and 135,120 times from the World Half Marathon Championships, was conducted by iloebesko.dk. The data is also supported by results from 28,485 times from BT Halvmarathon. The study was launched to shed light on the lack of energy management in long-distance running.

Selected results

Do like the Elite

Although the elite sometimes run tactically, there is no doubt that they are precise when it comes to what pace to set and what pace can be maintained throughout a half marathon. The elite basically tries to run the last half of the race at exactly the same pace as the first part of the half marathon. If you run the last part of a race faster than the first part, it is a negative split – a case that is often seen in the elite, including at the World Half Marathon Championships, where the majority of the top 10 men and top 10 women ran negative split times while the average athlete ran a positive split time of 12%. Below you can see the speed of the elite in the last part of the race compared to the first part.

It is clear that the top 10 men and women know their level in every detail and come very close to a neutral split. Below, for example, you can see the average speed of the top 3 men for 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, 20 km and the full half marathon distance. The pace varies a maximum of 4.6% from the average, which can be due to fluctuations in wind conditions and minor climbs.

All things being equal, it would be most optimal for the runner, regardless of distance, to push themselves just enough that the last half of a race is run at the same pace as the first half.

Women are the smartest runners

One of the most interesting results of the study was that women (n=9,323) walked 1) 9.5%, 2) 13.4% or 3) 14.4% less than men (n=17,504) depending on whether they measured 1) 10-20 km compared to 0-10 km, 2) 15-20 km compared to 0-5 km or 3) 20-21.1 km compared to 0-5 km. f

The youngest run the most economically

One of the study’s hypotheses was that men, especially younger men, would run too hard due to increased risk-taking and an overestimation of their own abilities. The big surprise of the study was that the youngest audience was the best at staying focused and not becoming overly ambitious. The graph below shows for each group, broken down by gender and age group, how the decrease in speed has developed from the first part of the race to the final part.

The faster you run, the better you control your pace.

An important part of training for a half marathon should be determining a realistic pace that the runner estimates they can maintain throughout the race. If experience with the half marathon distance is non-existent, it can be challenging to determine a pace in advance. The hypothesis in the study of the finishing time measured against the change in speed over time was that the more training the runner has done, the better they know a correct competition pace. The study confirmed this, as runners who finished under 1 hour and 30 minutes only lost 3% in the final part of the route compared to runners slower than 3 hours and 30 who on average lost more than 10%.

There were many other interesting conclusions from the extensive study – however, the above are the most interesting. If you want to delve further, you can download data and images from the study below.

How to optimize your half marathon

If you start out cold, it’s almost impossible to pick up the pace again. Do what you can to prepare for the challenges and the pace you’ll be running at. A few tips from running expert and former competitive runner Jens Jakob Andersen:

1. Turn down the excitement at the start of the race. Running too fast at the start will hurt your finishing time.
2. Find a realistic pace that you think you can maintain the entire way and follow it from the start.
3. If you have challenges keeping the right pace, I recommend that you train many kilometers at your estimated pace for the half marathon.
4. If you feel sudden exhaustion during the race, it is important that you adjust your pace immediately and do not try to maintain an unrealistically high pace.

Some of the challenges arise in connection with self-competition, while others can be avoided by choosing a good half marathon running program and get the necessary passport training.

The survey was prepared by iloebesko.dk

iloebesko.dk is a consumer guide focusing on running shoe reviews and publishing scientific studies on running training. The project was initiated by Jens Jakob, a former competitive runner. You can read more about iloebesko her. The most popular reviews are from Nike, New Balance, Asics and Adidas.