The sprint at the gun in XC?

Preface: I'm no talented runner or anything, and I've never competed for wins in big races, so my input probably doesn't mean much.

I think, except in somewhat rare cases, that even if one is capable of winning a race, that it is stupid to actually sprint for more than a few seconds at the beginning of a 5k-10k XC race. I acknowledge that sometimes it will be necessary/appropriate to sprint for more than a few seconds (but still definitely not 1/4 mile as a previous poster said), in order to gain decent position for a narrowing course, or something like that. But otherwise, I may be totally making this up, but haven't there been studies done which say that the ideal "sprint" at the beginning of a race shouldn't be more than 10 seconds or so, maybe 15 at the most, before it will negatively affect your ability to hold your race pace later in the race? Or something like that? I don't know the physics or specifics of this, but it makes sense to me.

Obviously, it is necessary to remain in contact with the front of the race if you are going for the win, but if they are sprinting out way ahead in the beginning, it is extremely likely they will be negatively affected by this later in the race and you don't have to worry about it. I think that as long as you can get decent positioning in the first 10-20 seconds of the race, in MOST cases, any potential race winner is going to be fine, and indeed, better off, by relaxing into race pace sooner rather than later.

For those other cases, you just have to be smart. But in my opinion it is more often than not dumb to have a sprint-out at the beginning of a 5k-10k race, not smart.

Tell us about the races you've not won.

Were you out kicked at the end?

Did the winner break you with a surge in the middle?

Were you gapped at the start and unable to make up ground to be in contention?

Are there any common characteristics of why you didn't win, or right with the leaders at the end?

I have never been out kicked or broken in fact I am the one who does that.

BUT I have been gapped from the gun thinking the other girls would come back to me and they never did.

last year I stalked the leader till 100m to go and I won.

another race last year I won by 30 seconds but some other big races I just could not hang with the leaders who were 1 year older than me so I got top 10.

Well, I think you have your answer. Don't get gapped by the leaders.

You sound very smart and very motivated.

Good luck!

My favorite example of the pointless starting sprint is a 4 mile race I did that always has this high school team run. I hit the 1/4 mile in about 10th place. I was a good 10 seconds back of the leader. I ended up winning by over 30 seconds and 10th place was 2 minutes back from me. Good thing they got that sprint lead...

Brad Wigins wrote:

it's settled wrote:

So you don't have to start fast. Problem solved.

The exception would be if it is a really competitive race (where the difference between 1st and 50th is 30 seconds, perhaps). With the exception of a national championship, you should be fine going out easier on a fast course.

How is this an exception? You beat people by running faster then them.

Coaching high school xc is different than you old guys running marathons. Have you seen a start of a HS race. Our last league race the entire field crossed the mile in 5:15. A poor kid ran 5:40, his correct pace for a 5k and never felt in it. I wish it was different but the go out and hold on for dear life strategy is reality for 98% of the runners in the race.

Unless the course has a lot of tight sections you will run better by running even pace. If your 5k pace is 5:40 and you go out in 5:15 then you'll end up running slower than you would have if you would have run even pace. Even pace wins the race. In HS you'll see 5:15, 5:40, 6:00...when instead you should be 5:30, 5:35, 5:35.

In 1994 during the Indiana XC State Meet I was within a couple boys of being dead last through the first mile. I then made my way through the rubble and finished 30th and ran a big PR.

In the 1996 in the Indiana State Meet 3200 I was easily 5s off the pace the first lap, again nearly dead last yet still ran 4 seconds faster than planned. So I ran a 66 and they ran a 62. My goal was to run 70 that first lap. Anyway, by lap 6 I was leading the race. Ended up the field was together with 800 to go and as usual I can't close to save my life and ended up 7th, with 6th and 5th within arms reach. Funny thing, the winner had some wheels and won wearing basketball shorts.

Moral to the story...run even pace, but allow yourself to run maybe slightly faster than even pace that first mile because you are going to naturally slow down. So give yourself a 5s cushion that first mile.

Alan

where you are at 800m is where you'll be at the finish