Pacing Strategy and Resulting Performance of Elite Trail Runners: Insights From the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.

Abstract

Purpose: Pacing is crucial in endurance sports such as running, and its importance is also prominent in trail running due to the unique challenges, including high elevation gains and varied terrain. This study aimed to explore the pacing strategies of elite athletes during the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships for the Trail Short distance.

Methods: The participants included 12 elite trail runners who provided their race data from sport watches for analysis.

Results: The findings indicate a significant decrease in grade-adjusted pace (vi) as the race progressed, with an average change of -18.7% from the start to the last downhill segment. A linear correlation of -.55 (P = .031) was observed between the winning time and the evolution of vi, suggesting that more consistent pacing led to better performance. The Student t test (t = 2.628, numerator degrees of freedom = 10, P = .013) confirmed that even pacing is significantly correlated with superior race results at a confidence level above 95%.

Conclusions: A more even pacing strategy is associated with success during elite trail-running races.