The influence of sex, age, and race experience on pacing profiles during the 90 km Vasaloppet ski race

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate pacing-profile differences during the 90 km Vasaloppet ski race related to the categories of sex, age, and race experience. Skiing times from eight sections (S1 to S8) were analyzed. For each of the three categories, 400 pairs of skiers were matched to have a finish time within 60 seconds, the same start group, and an assignment to the same group for the other two categories. Paired-samples Student’s t-tests were used to investigate sectional pacing-profile differences between the subgroups. Results showed that males skied faster in S2 (P=0.0042), S3 (P=0.0049), S4 (P=0.010), and S1–S4 (P<0.001), whereas females skied faster in S6 (P<0.001), S7 (P<0.001), S8 (P=0.0088), and S5–S8 (P<0.001). For the age category, old subjects (40 to 59 years) skied faster than young subjects (19 to 39 years) in S3 (P=0.0029), and for the other sections, there were no differences. Experienced subjects (≥4 Vasaloppet ski race completions) skied faster in S1 (P<0.001) and S1–S4 (P=0.0054); inexperienced skiers (<4 Vasaloppet ski race completions) had a shorter mean skiing time in S5–S8 (P=0.0063). In conclusion, females had a more even pacing profile than that of males with the same finish time, start group, age, and race experience. No clear age-related pacing-profile difference was identified for the matched subgroups. Moreover, experienced skiers skied faster in the first half whereas inexperienced skiers had higher skiing speeds during the second half of the race.

The Age of Peak Marathon Performance in Cross-Country Skiing—The “Engadin Ski Marathon”

“…Cross-country skiing, one of the earliest known winter physical activities (6), is a sport of high popularity especially in countries characterized by low temperatures and high snowfall, especially in Scandinavia (5). Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain.…”

A Portrait of Pacing Profile of Cross-Country Skiers in the Vasaloppet 2004–2017

“…The 'Vasaloppet' is the oldest and longest XC skiing race in the world and has the largest rates of participation [6]. The race is a total distance of 90 km; it starts in Sälen and finishes in Mora, and includes seven stations which define eight splits (▶Table 1).…”

“…In 10-and 15-km XC skiing races in World Cup, World Championships and Olympic events, slower men skiers were characterized by a relatively fast start, but no difference was found in women [21]. A study on a relatively small sample of finishers in the Vasaloppet skiing race showed that women had a more even profile than men [6]. In 100-km running, fast men runners started relatively slower in the first parts of the race, but this was not the case for women [26].…”

“…An explanation of the more variable pacing in recreational marathon runners might be that they choose a combined run/walk strategy to decrease muscle discomfort [19]. In summary, studies on endurance sports including a few on XC skiing [6,13] suggested women and fast athletes present a more even pacing; however, further research is needed in XC skiing.…”

“…Research in endurance sports has identified sex and performance level as correlates of pacing [6,13]. For instance, a review of studies on endurance running and cycling concluded that ath-…”