Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 96, July 2017 | Page 38

Ma Coaching
BODY
SCIENCE
2:00:26… and Faster
1 The athlete
Eliud Kipchoge is arguably the greatest marathon runner of the decade, with numerous
victories over the last four years, and he looks likely to break the marathon World Record at
the 2017 Berlin Marathon. In a nutshell, his potential comes down to a combination of (1)
optimised running efficiency, due to an economic technique and body structure, (2) muscular
conditioning making it possible to perform work over a prolonged period, and (3) possessing a
cardiopulmonary system (heart, lungs, blood vessels, etc.) that supplies sufficient oxygen and
nutrients effectively (high VO2Max), thus allowing him to perform at a high work rate, due to a
high lactate threshold.
2 The conditions
The reason for selecting the Monza race track was threefold. Firstly, Monza is a flat track,
allowing for a more constant running speed. Secondly, the circuit has sweeping bends, which
minimised the need to slow down when approaching sharp corners at 21km/h, as would be the
case in an ordinary marathon. Thirdly, the average seasonal climate (temperature, humidity,
wind, etc.) around Monza was considered close to ideal for endurance running.
energy usage. For Breaking2, the Nike Vaporfly Elite 4% worn by each of the
athletes was custom-made according to individual specifications, with the 4%
indicating the estimated improvement in running performance. In a manner of
speaking, Breaking2 might be considered a field test for this claim.
Breaking2 in critical perspective
Eliud Kipchoge came so close to breaking the two-hour mark, missing the target
time by a mere 26 seconds. However, it is important to critically discuss this
performance in order to put it in perspective. In real world conditions, drafting
created by surrounding pacemaker runners is capable of reducing air resistance
by up to 20%, effectively increasing running pace by 1s/km. It is estimated that
the drafting created by the timing car and pacemakers surrounding Kipchoge
may have increased this to at least 3s/km. Over a length of 42.2km this equates
to a time reduction of 126.6 seconds, or a touch over two minutes.
Kipchoge improved on his personal best by 2.17%, and Zersenay Tadese
improved his by 2.93%; but Lelisa Disasa ran 7.55% (nearly 10 minutes) slower
than his personal best. Though there may be various reasons for Disasa’s
lacklustre performance, the Vaporfly Elite 4% was speculated to improve
running performance by an estimated 4%. In isolation, the improvements
of 2.17% and 2.93% might provide some merit to Nike’s proposed 4%
improvement, though it is important to view the 2-3% improvements of
Kipchoge and Tadese in a broader light, meaning these improvements might be
more attributable to the effect of drafting.
3 Technology
The development of lighter shoes with a mechanism to store energy and return it to the runner
is, perhaps, the greatest technological advancement. In theory, this results in a runner using
fractionally less energy at the same running speed, or running fractionally faster with the same
About the Author
Ernest is a biomechanical, video, and running gait analyst at the High
Performance Centre (HPC) of the University of Pretoria.
TRAINING
Beat the Winter Brrrrr
When it is cold and dark outside, we runners can often
come up with plenty of excuses to avoid training, so try
these great training tips to find the motivation to get out of
from under our duvets, beat the freeze and keep fit! – BY
RAY ORCHISON, CERTIFIED COACH
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ISSUE 96 JULY 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
The recent Nike Breaking2 attempt in Italy had the running
community abuzz. It was no ordinary marathon, with optimal
conditions for the athletes, providing us with a snapshot of what
an elite marathon athlete is capable of under enhanced conditions,
and a novel insight into what will be required to cross the line in
sub-2 hours. – BY ERNEST HOBBES, BIOMECHANIST