How recreational marathon runners hit the wall: A large-scale data analysis of late-race pacing collapse in the marathon.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In the marathon, how runners pace and fuel their race can have a major impact on race outcome. The phenomenon known as hitting the wall (HTW) refers to the iconic hazard of the marathon distance, in which runners experience a significant slowing of pace late in the race, typically after the 20-mile mark, and usually because of a depletion of the body's energy stores.

Aim

This work investigates the occurrence of significant late-race slowing among recreational marathoners, as a proxy for runners hitting the wall, to better understand the likelihood and nature of such slowdowns, and their effect on race performance.

Methods

Using pacing data from more than 4 million race records, we develop a pacing-based definition of hitting the wall, by identifying runne

SUBMITTER: Smyth B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8133477 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature