Make a strong move with 500m to go. If you're quick enough you will catch him off guard and create some separation. After that, run like hell.
Make a strong move with 500m to go. If you're quick enough you will catch him off guard and create some separation. After that, run like hell.
reasonable ideas here. I will add another: if your competitor is setting a very solid pace, just hang on. drafting makes a difference, especially if it is windy. draft your way to a PR or victory.
If you can, try kicking from around 500-600 meters out, maybe even the slightest bit further. Lead the race until that point - he'll feel comfortable sitting on your shoulder, as he'll know he has a speed advantage. If you go out hard, he'll likely hang tough and outkick you, and you're taking a chance as well that you don't fade down the stretch. If you go out slow, he relaxes and dusts you at the end.
So, use a strong first 200-300 to get the lead, then force a moderate pace (maybe 1-1.25 seconds or so per lap off your pr). Going into the second curve on the third lap, upshift a gear or two below your typical kick and continue accelerating down the homestretch heading into the last 400m. I used to utilize this strategy to great effect: people don't usually expect a hard move at that point in a high school race, and there's a good chance to either surprise your competitor and get a gap he's too tired to make up or to just break him mentally. If he does manage to go with you, depending on how fatigued he is, you'll have a decent shot at taking enough sting out of his kick to hold him off.
Anyways, best of luck!
You only have two choices here:
1. Run in the back, and control the race like Farah would.
2. Since this is not an option, you need to be ahead of this guy with 900 to go, and run each of the next 100 meter increments faster than the one before.
Whatever you do, commit to it. Don't make any half-hearted moves, they will just sap your energy.
It really does come down to guts, sometimes. Just be ready for the pain and push through.
Go out at your normal target pace. If you're in the lead and he's sitting on you then slow down just a little so that you have some kick left when he tries to go around you, but keep the pace honest. If he's ahead of you and the pace is decently fast then just sit on him. When you kick just focus on staying relaxed and trying to find the next gear.
Will you have teammates in the first race he has to race?
Can you ensure that race is a barn burner?
Can you at least encourage that race to go out really slowly and kick hard from a long ways out?
Either will take some steam out of him.
1500 probably wrote:
I am racing one of my rivals at an upcoming conference meet in the 1500m. He has beaten me nearly every time we have raced this distance. His overall stamina and 1500m ability is better than mine (about 3 seconds better PR), but he really outclasses me in a kick. He will be doubling back from a prior event which shouldn't tire him out too much, but I will be fresh. What strategy would you use to maximize the probability of an upset win.
Have you thought about trying for a personal record in this race? The best way to do that is to run even pace.
However you must work on this in practices and races to get it down.
Realize that in most races at the high school level (and even quite a number at higher levels of competition) the race will go out way to fast. You must know the abilities of a few of your rivals. It seems that you do.
It sounds like this guy can get you a personal record, so what I would do is to keep him close during the entire race.
Perhaps at the 400, you would be 20 yards behind (Depends on pace of course, but this is reasonable). Then gradually as the race goes on try to shorten that distance a bit as you go. So, at the 800 you might be 10 yards behind. At 1200 you might be 5 yards behind. You are better rested and should be able to build up the last 300 very well. To me no one can sustain a top flight all out kick for more than 150 meters. Keep that in mind.
It's just like fishing...let them out a bit...then gradually reel them in right up to the finish line. The longer you race, the more you should be convinced this is the best way to run a race (Unless of course you are by far the best runner in the race, then you might as well go hog wild at the start.)
OP, this is the only way:
what are you talking about? wrote:
OP, this is the only way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvKX22TOCCA
There are two race strategies to win:
First, if you have the better kick, hope for a slow pace and just out kick everyone in the end.
Since this is not your case, we will go on to the other strategy.
Second strategy, go out at a fast steady pace and take the energy out of the other faster kickers.
For this to work, you need to know pacing really well and stick to your race plan no matter what anyone else does.
You want to go out at exactly the pace you can hold for 1500m with each lap time being exactly the same.
If you are bold, I would go out at your rival's PR pace. Now your rival will have to make a decision right at the beginning, hang back and hope you burn out and then out kick you in the end. Or go with you, know he will have to run a PR race himself to win.
The best scenario is what happened in the video. Bayi goes out fast and the other runners let him go. In the final lap, he is too far ahead for the other kickers to catch him.
Follow up?? How did the race play out? How did you do? Hope it went well!