Pacing Strategy and Performance in Elite World Cup Triathlon

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0832 Elite triathletes may attain eligibility for selection for the Olympic Games triathlon through their performance in the “International Triathlon Union” (ITU) World Cup triathlon series. These races involve completion of a swimming stage followed by a “draft legal” cycle and a final running stage over the Olympic distance (OD) (1.5- km swimming, 40-km cycling and 10-km running). In the cycle stage, athletes are allowed to cycle in a sheltered position (drafting) – this may result in specific demands and tactical strategies not observed in non elite triathlon events. However, little is understood about the pacing strategies employed by elite triathletes in each stage of the race. PURPOSE: To compare the performance of the top and lower level triathletes in the swimming, cycling and running stage of an elite “draft legal” ITU World Cup OD triathlon. METHODS: 24 male athletes who were grouped into the top 50% (n = 12) and bottom 50% (n = 12) of the population recruited from starters in the race. Swimming velocity (m.s−1), cycling speed (kph) and running velocity (m.s−1) were measured at regular intervals throughout the race using a global positioning system (GPS). The actual rank after each stage and overall was obtained from the race results. RESULTS: The top 50% competitors overall in the triathlon completed the first 500m of the swim stage significantly (p<0.05) faster than the lower level athletes. The position of the top 50% athletes after the swim stage was also significantly (p<0.01) lower (6.3 ± 3.5 vs 19.7 ± 5.5). There were no significant differences in actual race position after the cycle stage (10.7 ± 6.5 vs 14.8 ± 10.2). However, the slower swimmers cycled at a significantly (p<0.01) higher speed (38.5 ± 0.2 vs 39.2 ± 0.7) at 13.1-km in the cycle stage. There was also a significant correlation (r = 0.60;p<0.01) between position after the swim and cycle speed at 13.1-km. Furthermore, the position in the running stage was highly correlated (r = 0.49:p<0.05) with overall race result. CONCLUSION: After the swimming stage of an elite triathlon race, the lower level athletes were required to “catch up” in the early stages of the cycle stage. At the same time, it is likely that inferior swimming performance results in a tactic that involves greater work in the initial stages of cycle stage affecting subsequent running and overall triathlon performance.