Study: Triathletes should be better at managing their strength

A new comprehensive study of 2,363 triathletes and more than 40,000 times conducted on August 25, 2014 reveals how only the very few manage their energy levels correctly during the IRONMAN distance. The average athlete is 29.4% slower during the final marathon.

It’s incredible that in a sport like triathlon, which is characterized by equipment nerds, there are clear trends that athletes can’t figure out something as basic as planning their race. At KMD IRONMAN COPENHAGEN, the trend is clear. Runners run slower and slower with every kilometer they get on the marathon. It costs a lot in the end.

Results from the comprehensive investigation

The average IRONMAN

The average athlete starts out at a pace of 5:12 minutes per kilometer for the first 2.1 kilometers. From 34.3 km to 37.9 km, the pace has slowed by a whopping 29.4%, to 6:44 minutes per kilometer. This comes at a cost in the end, as the race becomes less economical. Whether you are running, duathlon or triathlon, all things being equal, it is best to run at the highest possible average load throughout.

The graph below illustrates the speed at 17 different checkpoints. The pattern is clear. No one can control their strength as the speed gets slower and slower with each passing kilometer.

The race itself consisted of a 10.3 kilometer round trip. The second lap was run an average of 8% slower than the first lap. The third lap was run a full 16% slower than the first lap. The fourth lap was also 20% slower than the first lap. The graph below illustrates the percentage deterioration experienced by the different groups of runners along the way. “Sub” is the triathlon sport’s term for having finished under the specified time. Sub 10 are athletes who finished under the magical 10 hours.

Overall, the second part of the marathon was run 14% slower than the first part of the marathon.

The elite can’t teach us much

Even the elite fumble around with their speeds. If you look at the top 10 best triathletes at IRONMAN CPH, it is obvious that they perform significantly more consistently than the rest of the triathletes, although not yet optimally. The top 10 ran the second part of the marathon a full 10% slower than the first part. There is still room for improvement. However, it is clearly seen from the figure below how the elite is significantly better at running consistent times. It is especially crazy with the slowest participants, who go completely cold in the second part of the marathon.

The winner of KMD IRONMAN COPENHAGEN also didn’t manage to do it quite correctly. He says of running shoes:

The first 2 km go completely wrong

The triathletes are undoubtedly touched by the enormous support provided by the estimated 200,000 spectators. Unfortunately, it backfires later. The top 100 completed the first 2.1 km at a pace 11% faster than their average marathon speed. That backfires. The trend was the same across the board.

The beginners have an excellent final sprint

One of the big surprises of the study was how the last 700m was run at a significantly higher speed than the previous kilometers. Something suggests that the enthusiasm of the audience has a lot to say. In any case, the average triathlete ran the last 700m 6% faster than the last 10 kilometers. It was especially triathletes who completed the entire IRONMAN between 11 hours and 15 hours who turned up the heat for the final sprint, the figures from the study show. The figure below shows the number of kilometers along the x-axis and the speed up the y-axis. Note how the average athlete becomes significantly faster in the last kilometers.

What can be done to make a better IRONMAN?