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Effects of the performance level and race distance on pacing in ultra-
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triathlons
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Beat Knechtle1,2, Caio Victor de Sousa3,
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Herbert Gustavo Simões3, Thomas Rosemann2, Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis4
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Corresponding author
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Prof. Dr. med. Beat Knechtle
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Facharzt FMH für Allgemeinmedizin
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Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen
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Vadianstrasse 26
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9001 St. Gallen
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Switzerland
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Telefon
+41 (0) 71 226 93 00
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Telefax
+41 (0) 71 226 93 01
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E-Mail
[email protected]
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Conflict of interest statement:
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We declare no conflict of interest.
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Acknowledgements:
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We thank Patricia Villiger for her contribution to the English editing.
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Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 3 Graduate Program in Physical Education, Catholic University of Brasilia, DF, Brazil 4 Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Nikaia, Greece 2
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Abstract
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on pacing in ultra-triathlons (Double, Triple, Quintuple and Deca), wherein pacing is defined as the
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relative time (%) spent in each discipline (swimming, cycling and running). All finishers (n =
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3,622) of Double, Triple, Quintuple and Deca Iron ultra-triathlons between 1985 and 2016 were
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analysed and classified into quartile groups (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) with Q1 being the fastest and Q4
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the slowest. Performance of all non-finishers (n = 1,000) during the same period was also
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examined. Triple and Quintuple triathlons (24.4%) produced the highest rate of non-finishers, and
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Deca Iron ultra-triathlons produced the lowest rate (18.0%) (χ2 = 12.1, p = 0.007, φC = 0.05). For the
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relative swimming and cycling times (%), Deca triathletes (6.7 ± 1.5% and 48.8 ± 4.9%,
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respectively) proved the fastest and Double (9.2 ± 1.6% and 49.6 ± 3.6%) Iron ultra-triathletes were
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the slowest (p < 0.008) with Q4 being the fastest group (8.3 ± 1.6% and 48.8 ± 4.3%) and Q1 the
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slowest one (9.5 ± 1.5% and 50.9 ± 3.0%) (p < 0.001). In running, Double triathletes were
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relatively the fastest (41.2 ± 4.0%) and Deca (44.5 ± 5.4%) Iron ultra-triathletes the slowest (p
