A Novel Method to Characterize the Pacing Profile of Elite Male 1500-m Freestyle Swimmers
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformancePurpose: Pacing, or the distribution of energy expenditure, is particularly important in swimming; however, there is limited research examining pacing profiles in long-distance freestyle events. This study aimed to characterize the pacing profiles of elite male 1500-m freestyle swimmers using a novel method to provide a detailed analysis of different race segments. Methods: The race data for 327 male 1500-m freestyle long-course races between 2010 and 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The raw 50-m split times for each lap were converted to a percentage of overall race time. The races were classified as a fast-, average-, or slow-start strategy (laps 1–2); as an even, negative, or positive pacing strategy (laps 3–28); and as a fast-, average-, or slow-finish strategy (laps 29–30) to give an overall pacing profile. Results: Slow- and average-start strategies were associated with faster overall 1500-m times than a fast-start strategy (mean = −21.2 s; 90% confidence interval, −11.4 to −32.3 s, P = .00). An even pacing strategy in laps 3 to 28 yielded faster overall 1500-m times than a positive pacing strategy (−8.4 s, −3.9 to −13.0 s, P = .00). The overall 1500-m times did not differ substantially across the finish strategies (P = .99). The start strategy differed across age groups and nationalities, where younger swimmers and swimmers from Australia and Great Britain typically spent a lower percentage of race time in laps 1 to 2 (faster start strategy; −0.10%, −0.01% to −0.23%, P ≤ .02). Conclusion: Adopting a relatively slower start strategy helps conserve energy for the latter stages of a 1500-m freestyle race.
McGibbon and Pyne are with the University of Canberra Research Inst for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, Australia. McGibbon is also with the Queensland Academy of Sport, Nathan, QLD, Australia. Heidenreich is with the University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia. Pla is with the Fédération Française de Natation, Clichy, France; Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA 7370), Research Dept, French Inst of Sport (INSEP), Paris, France; and the Inst de Recherche Biomédicale et d’Epidémiologie du Sport (EA7329), Paris, France.
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