What is it about?
World-class cross country runners tend to adopt a pacing profile of simply following the leaders, possibly because it is the least psychologically taxing strategy or because there are no external cues like meaningful lap times.
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Why is it important?
Athletes who compete in cross country races need to learn to hold back in the early stages and try for more even paced running. Conversely, they might need to train for such tactics given the lack of external feedback.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Senior men’s pacing profiles at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Journal of Sports Sciences, February 2014, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2013.878807.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Pacing v. Racing
A short review of the article's most important findings.
Cross Country: Psychology
This article from Athletics Weekly discusses the value of the pacing research with regard to psychological factors in cross country running.
Cross Country: Physiology
This article from Athletics Weekly discusses the value of the pacing research with regard to physiological factors in cross country running.
Cross Country: Paced to Perfection
A short review of the cross country pacing article in Athletics Weekly.
Contributors
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