I am certainly not in the know, but based on a few podcasts I've listened to - Roche believes that it is better to start harder in these ultras. I guess with the super high carb fueling, he thinks you can use more carbs early if you are running at a higher effort. So he runs at the high end of whatever he thinks Zone 2 heart rate is.
And then the fatigue of an ultra (central fatigue? something else?) sets in and they slow down in the second half, actually unable to keep HR up as high.
So it is kind of the opposite of road running at distances up to the marathon. And it seems to be a change in the racing paradigm in ultras, but I could be wrong.
Super interesting insight. I can see the physiological rationale, thanks for sharing.
Personally, I don’t feel pacing runners in ultras is ethically acceptable, although for safety and health reasons it might make sense.
Agree, but some races allow it and some don't, so in theory it's equal for everyone within each race (except for the people who don't have the resources to arrange pacers). Pacing is allowed more often in the US for some reason. It makes it way too easy to cheat, among other concerns (fuel/water provided outside of aid stations for example).
Pacing being allowed only at night would make a little more sense, but ultimately it seems navigating and dealing with issues alone should be part of the sport.
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25k viewers on YouTube livestream. Seems there is quite a bit of interest. Coverage so far is pretty good with 10 men pretty close together. Real racing won’t start until after 50 miles. Too bad Walmsley isn’t running.
I actually wonder if the absence of Jim is creating the hot early pace. If he was on the start line people might be deferring to him a little bit. Seems like since the field is relatively wide open, they are just sending it.
For folks in the know, can you explain pacing strategies for this race? I'm surprised Roche is in the lead so early (although I probably shouldn't be based on everything he's posted).
I am certainly not in the know, but based on a few podcasts I've listened to - Roche believes that it is better to start harder in these ultras. I guess with the super high carb fueling, he thinks you can use more carbs early if you are running at a higher effort. So he runs at the high end of whatever he thinks Zone 2 heart rate is.
And then the fatigue of an ultra (central fatigue? something else?) sets in and they slow down in the second half, actually unable to keep HR up as high.
So it is kind of the opposite of road running at distances up to the marathon. And it seems to be a change in the racing paradigm in ultras, but I could be wrong.
Auburn, CA weather shows a high of 96 today. Yes, serious heat related issues going to cause many a runner to bonk big time. Heat stress is no fun and can cause long term damage.