Velocity and Stride Parameters of World-Class 400-Meter Athletes Compared With Less Experienced Runners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine, based on the time course of the velocity and stride pattern recorded in each 50-m segment of a 400-m competition, whether elite 400-m runners present the same pacing strategy as less successful athletes. Based on video data, 3 different levels of performance were analyzed: world-class, national, and regional levels for both sexes, with each of the 6 groups comprising 5 subjects. The peak velocity was reached by all athletes between the 50- and 100-m marks with mean values of 8.96 and 10.12 m.s for the 5 best women and men, respectively. Peak frequencies were observed in the second and third 50-m segments; peak values were 3.99 +/- 0.13 for the world-class women (WWC) and 4.12 +/- 0.19 for the men (MWC). A stride length of 2.29 +/- 0.04 was observed for the WWC and 2.53 +/- 0.08 for the MWC. The better athletes were able to achieve higher absolute and relative velocities (97.6 +/- 0.5 [MWC] and 96.3 +/- 0.7% [WWC] of their best performance for 200 m) at the 200-m mark compared with the lower-level athletes. Furthermore, the fatigue index was calculated as 22.99, 14.43, and 13.91% for the world-class, national, and regional levels, respectively. In summary, world-class runners adopt a more aggressive pacing strategy and demonstrate greater fatigue than the less experienced runners; this might indicate a greater mental commitment and/or a better capacity to run under fatigue.

Maturation-related differences in neuromuscular fatigue after a short-term maximal run

“…The loss of running speed, -12.2%, -9.8%, and -12.2% in children, adolescents, and adults, respectively, was comparable with previous studies [2,24]. The speed deceleration and the post-exercise blood lactate and blood pH levels indicate that the subjects made an allout effort.…”

“…The loss of running speed during a competitive 400-m run, for instance, ranges from 13 to 23% [e.g. 2]. Neuromuscular (or muscle) fatigue can be defined as 'any exercise-induced reduction in the ability of a muscle to generate force or power' [3, p. 1733].…”

Estratégia adotada em provas de natação estilo crawl: uma análise das distâncias de 800 e 1500m.

“…Isto se deve ao fato de que, neste estudo, todos os atletas analisados possuíam alto nível de desempenho, visto que foram incluídos apenas finalistas e semifinalistas de campeonatos mundiais. Interessantemente, alguns autores 23,24 observaram que tanto atletas de mesmo nível quanto de níveis de desempenho distintos adotam EP similares. Por exemplo, quando atletas de corridas de 400m de nível mundial, nacional e regional foram comparados, Hanor e Gajer 23 observaram que embora as velocidades absolutas e relativas tenham sido diferentes, a distribuição dessas velocidades foi similar, com uma progressiva diminuição ao longo da prova.…”

“…Interessantemente, alguns autores 23,24 observaram que tanto atletas de mesmo nível quanto de níveis de desempenho distintos adotam EP similares. Por exemplo, quando atletas de corridas de 400m de nível mundial, nacional e regional foram comparados, Hanor e Gajer 23 observaram que embora as velocidades absolutas e relativas tenham sido diferentes, a distribuição dessas velocidades foi similar, com uma progressiva diminuição ao longo da prova. Adicionalmente, Muehlbauer et al 24 também observaram que quando atletas de patinação de velocidade de nível mundial foram divididos em dois grupos de acordo com as suas colocações na respectiva corrida, a EP adotada não foi diferente entre os dois grupos para nenhuma das distâncias analisadas (3000m, 5000m e 10000m).…”

Oxygen uptake and blood metabolic responses to a 400-m run

“…The pacing strategy required for optimal performance in a 400-m running race consists of a fast start followed by an approximate 15% decrease in velocity, relative to peak velocity, during the last 100 m of the race (Hanon and Gajer 2009). The adoption of such a fast-start procedure induces a higher peak oxygen uptake _ VO 2max À Á compared with other pacing strategies (Bishop et al 2002;Sandals et al 2006).…”