Please explain me the point of race tactics. Serious question.

Yes, tactics come into play because of drafting, psychology, etc.

But we praise, celebrate and revere the runner that uses the tactic of front running from the gun at a record pace to leave everyone else behind and win the race.

Think David Rudisha winning and setting a World Record in the 800m final at the 2012 Olympic Games. Think Kelvin Kiptum setting the Marathon Record in Chicago in 2023 (where he went out fast and was the pacesetter after 15k miles, running the last 12k alone.)

It takes guts and confidence to use that tactic, and a runner just has to be in better shape than everyone else for that to work.
It may be the most difficult tactic to use if you want to win.

But when a runner uses that tactic and succeeds, it is arguably a greater victory than winning using any other tactic.

Part of the fascination with Jakob Ingebrigtsen is that he frequently seems to want to use this front running record pace tactic to win global 1500m finals. So far it has not worked very well. But he keeps using that tactic because one day it may work, and he will be revered when it does.

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You have to fight the wind, whilst other can stay in the area where they don't have to fight it.

Wouldn’t racing as hard as you can also be tactic?

Its worth about a second / lap, obviously varies depending on wind strenght/direction but this is in still conditions.

Drafting is massive in cycling and pretty much defines all tactics apart from on the very steepest climbs.

It seems running is not dissimilar. Surely this just confirms what we've all experienced?

runnersworld.com

Does Drafting Help In Running?

It does, which explains why it's so hard to lead a middle-distance race from gun to tape.

Open link

But he IS better than everyone in his race? Not a coach alive would suggest he try and sit and kick a guy who has a better kick and has gotten the best of him using that tactic. Jacob's advantage (so we thought) was he was the best runner in the field with the best time and returning to peak form. So go try to run everyone into the ground. Its a valid plan when you keep losing with the other plan.

OP, when racing athletes of similar abilities, you can't really run "your pace" consistently. Watch the 5000m final in Paris, specifically Grant Fisher from 7 laps to go. He's on the rail, but he's constantly jostled by Haymans and has to pull up a bit several times. He can't move to the outside and he can't squeeze by Haymans on the rail. His pace is at the mercy of Haymans. You can see him moving up and back as he is forced to change pace. He finally gets clear of Haymans with less than 3 laps to go.

(This link does NOT show the next problem with even pacing the entire race. This race went out slow, but think of high school and college meets where many runners go out too fast. A runner who runs "his pace" for the start could find himself 5 meters off the front by the 200m mark and either have to run the curve in lane 3 (an extra 7 meters compared to lane 1) or run on the rail boxed in by slower runners he will have to pass eventually. Passing takes energy and little bursts of speed.)

Running "your pace" can work when you're faster than the other runners and you can basically time trial the race. Or, when you're slower and you can run your own race from the back!

Short answer (at least in my opinion): no.

I think the drafting does make a significant difference (though probably not a full second a lap, because runners can rarely tuck in as tightly behind a leader as they do in the lab studies, and also because there's usually at least some breeze which in a track race will manifest as a cross-breeze or even tailwind for parts of each lap).

But the mental effort of nailing a steady pace is also significant. We're not talking about the steady pace that you hit in your tempo runs or whatever. We're talking a very hard pace that's, by definition, exactly on the edge of what you're capable of sustaining. You have to be focused every second of the way to avoid slacking off or accidentally overcooking it. Running behind a reliable pacer, or just deciding to tuck behind a competitor regardless of what pace they choose to run, conserves your mental energy for a stronger finish - which, in most cases, is where the race ends up being won or lost.

at any race above 200-400 you cannot run it full speed the whole way. you have to measure out the usage of the tank. we can call it "pace" or whatever, but you aren't really running full speed. therefore sniffing at "tactics" is goofy. even if jakob tries wire to wire front running, he's not actually running a peak sprint. the question is then how much you throttle down to try and maximize the time and placement for the race. or your use of throttle-up or other games within a race. because it's not just speed, it can also be boxing in an opponent where they can't get out of the pack and get away. that costs an increment of time but might benefit placement. you're laser focused on time when i may prefer finishing 1st or 3rd while not running my fastest that week, to tactically put runners behind me on place.

my experience most folks cannot run as good in a race as practice. similar lines, my experience some days you feel great and others merely ok or bad. so it is less predictable than you suggest that you run to some preset pace and time. or what that pace and time should be. also, i think most of us have experienced you feel great and you go too fast and it bites you late. so even there it's properly harnessing a good day.

some days it's rainy. some days it's cold. some days it's hot. some days it's windy.

your competition may be strong, weak, or unknown/unpredictable. you may be slower but wanting to egg the race in a direction that gives you a chance. you may be faster and wanting to try to win but without emptying the tank. if i am 10 seconds slower at 1500 than the best seeds, and this is about place, i may not want to make it a drag race. i may want to encourage the fast kids to slow down and leave me a chance.

front running works best if you are just above and beyond everyone and can cruise the finish. front running is exhausting on windy days or if the competition is more similar to me. if guys B and C are right with me, i want them that increment more tired for the kick finish. i don't want to do all the work. and if i am not putting them away on pace, then i need something at the end.

personally most of my best races place or competition took over from mere pace. like some dude comes up on my shoulder and i am running fast as i can at the end to put them away.

last, at the end of college or HS seasons, or in world-level pro stuff (olympics), you may have heats and rounds to get to the final. you may need to repeatedly finish within a set of places to advance to the next round. or it may be on time but you can't empty the tank to get that time or you won't have anything tomorrow. so you have to figure out what gets you to tomorrow but with most gas in the tank.

for example, different sport, by my select soccer team, coach would rotate some subs in for the semis of tournaments. the starters benched that day would be available if needed, but the idea was to take a calculated risk that we could still win -- the bench guys might be all conference HS players in their own right -- but save some rested players for the tournament final. and once in a while we lost the semi, but it often worked out when we made finals. you win the semi 1-0 or 2-0 instead of 4-0, but you are more rested for the toughest game, playing an opponent who may have run their starters into the ground to get there.

you routinely see folks in olympics vs. diamond league who are either good at heat meets or are only good in a one-off race. now i invite you to go all out in your first heat but then good luck escaping the semi or the final. and as i said above, your chance at success may be something other than a stretched-field drag race at full speed. there are children's stories written about this, no?

sorry but to me these arguments are usually made by also-rans in the middle of the field who because they don't either dominate the race or control the pace, fall behind and see their sole value as, ok, did i run a PR today.

maybe it's i was also a sprinter and hurdler out there doing XC or the 800 but to me it was like "compete," catch and beat the next guy up. work the places. keep fighting til you finish. you do that and you see the value in tactics.

danica patrick's schtick in racing was saving fuel and tires and trying to win on fewer pit stops. she won one race in her career, in indycar in japan, when everyone else had to pit with 3 laps remaining. but most weeks it worked out she took 8th because someone else was simply faster and the pace game didn't go in her favor.

running one speed the whole time is not that optimizing or successful a tactic. you're not going to ever win unless you're a complete bada$$ or everyone in your heat is 10 seconds slower and can't even keep up, in some small triangular meet or something.

last, some of racing is psychology. you've never blown a race you thought you had and then you hear footsteps at the end? part of the game is timed pressure to see if a tired athlete cracks a little.

but if it never works (as it likely doesn't), he will be remembered as a one-hit wonder.

Others have had good feedback. The one thing you need to realize is that a guy that can solo time trial 26:30 is only a 26:30 guy in those conditions. Add a rabbit and maybe he’s 26:15. Add some runners that are difficult to race and maybe he’s 26:45.

The humans on the track change whether or not he’s actually a 26:30 guy.

If you've done a set of 400s with a team, even at hobby jogger paces, it's perceptible that it takes less effort to go the same pace when you're not leading. If you're struggling to run, say 73s, while leading a few reps, you suddenly feel like the pace is too slow once you're in the slipstream after someone else takes over. 1 second/lap is a good rule of thumb, but it's actually a bit more than that for pros.

Ideal positioning depends on a lot of factors, but the basic answer is that it's okay to be off the rail in a tactical race because most of the time you're at sub-maximal effort. Same reason it's okay to be the front-runner when the pace is moderate. A few extra meters or an extra second per lap isn't a huge deal if you're running well within yourself. It matters a lot more once you're riding the edge. Nine out of ten times, though, being in second position on the rail is great. Risky in a 1500 prelim, but in most finals, space opens up.

Also, the question is from the perspective of the hypothetical runner with the fastest PR in the field, who is in PR shape. For everyone else, tactics get way more complicated because they have to decide what kind of race plays to their strength. Should they go with 3k left? 1k? 600? 200? You have to assess your own unique abilities AND everyone else's to come up with that plan, and you have to adapt to other people trying to implement their plans.

Nothing wrong with it and I would add to stay close to the leaders. Let them exert the most energy while you’re maintaining an even pace exerting less to have more of a kick in the end. Hull seemed to have figured it out. Also you can suggest the best advice but people still have to learn by doing.

I think a front runner can still win major world championships if they send it. but...

1. They have to hug the rail the entire race. (Jakob might have medaled if he hugged the rail in the the olympic 1500M finish straight)

2. They have to commit from the start and they better be running pretty damn close to world record pace the entire way.

3. They need to be careful about not ticking off too fast of a lap in the first half. Even one lap 1 second too fast in the early part of race will take the edge off your kick in the finish.

4. You have to be a respected runner with a history of medaling. Psychologically, sitting and trying to kick Keninesa Bekele or Faith Kipyegon in their prime is very different than some unknown.

5. It probably helps to be small if you want to front run. Less windbreak for your competetors.

6. No one really does this, but it might be a good strategy to do a Yuki Kawauchi style rope a dope circa Boston 2018. Every runner shows up to a championship ready to run fast, but how many runners are ready to close the last lap on completely burned up legs?