Imagine a race like this:
200m indoor track, no predetermined finishing distance. At the end each lap, the person in last place is eliminated. What would be the optimal strategy for winning a race like this, and who in the U.S. do you think would be competitive in this style of racing?
Depends how many start the race. You say no predetermined finishing distance, but the number of entrants would tell you how many laps you're running.
Valid point. Lets say 16 people, so a 3200m race. My first instinct is to say just stay in 2nd and try to kick at the bell, but when you get down to 4 or 5 racers you would be having to defend that position before even thinking about trying to win
I think it would start to resemble a speed skating race after a few laps. Whoever did the most fartleks would win. Novel idea, but in reality I think it wouldn't be fun race to watch.
So which type of runner do you think would be best suited for it? If the distance is 3200m, would a 1500m guy be better? Or if fartleks are required, would a 10k runner be better off?
Would you prefer to watch a bunch of guys jog 3k and then sprint 200m? I think the proposed would be a blast to watch. A helluva lot better than what we have today.
That guy... wrote:
Would you prefer to watch a bunch of guys jog 3k and then sprint 200m? I think the proposed would be a blast to watch. A helluva lot better than what we have today.
How about a race on a 200M track where if you get lapped you are eliminated. That could present some interesting strategy options.
Reg Fields wrote:
How about a race on a 200M track where if you get lapped you are eliminated. That could present some interesting strategy options.
I think this is more what the OP had in mind. In this scenario, you could get a few really fast 800M guys in there to try and push the pace early and it quick and also some 10K guys who would just try and outlast everyone. In this scenario, you really don't know how long the race goes.
Saw a race like this on an outdoor track in high school called "devil takes the hindmost" aka dude wearing a devil costume pulled the last person off each lap until there was a winner.
Dude that won just took off from the gun, built up a 300m lead and just coasted for the W
In the (g)olden days we used to have the Devil Take the Hindmost Mile in indoor meets. a guy in a Devil costume would pitchfork the guy in last place each lap indicating that they were done. Always a fan favorite.
You would probably see a mad start right away given the short laps. (and elboys would be flying all over the place)
Maybe even sub 25, because position would be crucial.
the winner would depend on the distance, but if we assume it's a 3200m race I would give the win to the guy who could run on tired legs better, especially after a very fast 600m (maybe in the 1'27'' range).
Maybe a strong 5km runner with some surging ability would win in this scenario. (Kejelcha, Ndiku those types of runners).