Comparison of Collegiate Track Divisions Using the Distance-time Relationship

Abstract

Critical velocity (CV), defined as the velocity that can be maintained when running at maximal oxygen consumption, has previously been used to evaluate changes in overall Olympic running performance and to compare various international athletic organizations. In collegiate track & field (CTF), talent disparities may exist between competitive divisions, such as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 (D1), NCAA Division 2 (D2), and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Because CV is sensitive to performance, gender (men [M] versus women [W]) and race environment (outdoor [OUT] versus indoor [IN]) comparisons may further demonstrate its utility. PURPOSE: To compare CV across collegiate track divisions and evaluate differences by gender and race environment. METHODS: Performance times were recorded from publically available data for the IN (800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m) and OUT (800 m, 1609.34 m, 5000 m) CTF national championships across three divisions (D1, D2, and NAIA). The top four times for both M and W in each event over a period of ten years (2005-2014) were averaged and identified as that division’s “performance”, in an effort to reduce the effects of any exceptional athlete or group of athletes. These performance times were used to estimate CV as the slope of the distance-time relationship using linear regression. A three-way analysis of variance was run, with CV as the dependent variable and gender, division, and race environment as fixed factors. RESULTS: Significant differences (p<0.001) in CV were found for gender (M: 5.64 ± 0.19 m/s, W: 4.79 ± 0.21 m/s) and division (D1: 5.44 ± 0.43 m/s, D2: 5.18 ± 0.44 m/s, NAIA: 5.03 ± 0.45 m/s), but not environment (p=0.384; IN: 5.22 ± 0.465 m/s, OUT: 5.21 ± 0.47 m/s). Additionally, no interactions were found between gender, division, and environment. CONCLUSIONS: The higher CV values in D1 compared to D2 and NAIA may reflect a talent disparity amongst CTF divisions. A higher CV in men compared to women reflects well known differences in running performance between genders. Despite potential confounding factors, including temperature, wind, track surface, and number of turns during a race, comparable CV values between race environments reflect a similar relationship between IN and OUT performance times of varying distances.