Are experienced and high-level race walking athletes able to match pre-programmed with executed pacing?

D.L Alves,P.R Domingos,A.E Lima-Silva,R Osiecki,R Bertuzzi,J.R.P Lima,F.R De-Oliveira,R Cruz

doi:10.1590/1414-431x20198593

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the agreement between pre-programmed and executed pacing during race walking and whether level of the athletes experience and performance influenced this relationship. Twenty-nine national and international race walkers participated in this study (14 males, 24.0±7.1 years old, and 15 females, 23.3±7.3 years old). Pre-programmed pacing for 10- and 20-km official walking races was self-selected via demonstrative pacing charts prior to races, while executed pacing was analyzed by a specialist investigator via an individual plot of current velocity versus distance. There was no agreement between pre-programmed and executed pacing (P=0.674). There was no association between the ability to match the pre-programmed pace with the executed pace and race walking experience or level of performance. Low- and high-performance athletes pre-programmed a similar pacing profile (P=0.635); however, high-performance athletes generally executed an even pacing strategy, while low-performance athletes generally adopted a positive pacing strategy (P=0.013). Race walkers did not faithfully match their pre-programmed with their executed pacing, and this seemed to be independent of previous experience and level of performance. High-performance athletes, however, tended to execute an even pacing strategy, even though this had not been pre-programmed.

Highlights

Pacing is defined as the alterations in power output or velocity that occur throughout a race, in order to reach the endpoint in the shortest possible time [1,2,3,4]
This is an important determinant of performance in endurance sports such as cycling, speed skating, kayaking, running, and race walking [5,6,7,8,9]
Athletes at the national level had participated in state and national competitions, while athletes at the international level had participated in competitions such as the Olympic Games, South American/Pan American Championships, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Race Walking Cup, and competitions hosted in other countries in the last four years before the study

Summary

Introduction

Pacing is defined as the alterations in power output or velocity that occur throughout a race, in order to reach the endpoint in the shortest possible time [1,2,3,4] This is an important determinant of performance in endurance sports such as cycling, speed skating, kayaking, running, and race walking [5,6,7,8,9]. Athletes may individually choose other pacing profiles, such as even (maintaining a constant velocity), positive (gradually decreasing the velocity over the distance), parabolic (starting with high velocities, slowing down during mid-race and increasing at the end), and variable (there is no clearly defined pattern for velocity distribution) [1,2,13,14] It is currently unknown whether the athletes follow a pre-programmed pacing profile or they ‘‘unconsciously’’ execute a given pacing during race walking. Experience may be more important in sports demanding more technical skills as race walking; more experienced athletes may have a lower deterioration in

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