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Influence of gender on pacing adopted by elite triathletes during a competition

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An Erratum to this article was published on 12 March 2011

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the pacing strategies adopted by women and men during a World Cup ITU triathlon. Twelve elite triathletes (6 females, 6 males) competed in a World Cup Olympic distance competition where speed and heart rate (HR) were measured in the three events. The power output (PO) was recorded in cycling to determine the time spent in five intensity zones ([0–10% VT1]; [10% VT1–VT1]; [VT1–VT2]; [VT2–MAP] and ≥MAP) [ventilatory threshold (VT); maximal aerobic power (MAP)]. Swimming and running speeds decreased similarly for both genders (P < 0.05) and HR values were similar through the whole race (92 ± 2 and 92 ± 3% of maximal HR for women and men, respectively). The distribution of time spent in the five zones during the cycling leg was the same for both genders. The men’s speed and PO decreased after the first bike lap (P < 0.05) and the women spent relatively more time above MAP in the hilly sections (45 ± 4 vs. 32 ± 4%). The men’s running speed decreased significantly over the whole circuit, whereas the women slowed only over the uphill and downhill sections (P < 0.05). This study indicates that both female and male elite triathletes adopted similar positive pacing strategies during swimming and running legs. Men pushed the pace harder during the swim-to-cycle transition contrary to the women and female triathletes were more affected by changes in slope during the cycling and running phases.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by technical supports to the French National Institute of Sport and Physical Education, the French Federation of Triathlon and the University of South Toulon-Var. The authors are especially grateful to the athletes and coaches for their help and cooperation. They also gratefully acknowledge the Swiss National Team of Triathlon for their help in the collection of data, and Patricia Vandewalle and Jessica Harrison for their help in the correction of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Department, National Institute of Sport and Physical Education (INSEP), Paris, France

    Yann Le Meur, Christophe Hausswirth & Sylvain Dorel

  2. Handibio, EA 4322, University of South Toulon-Var, La Garde Cedex, France

    Yann Le Meur, Jeanick Brisswalter & Thierry Bernard

  3. French Federation of Triathlon, La Plaine Saint Denis, France

    Frank Bignet

Authors
  1. Yann Le Meur
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  2. Christophe Hausswirth
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  3. Sylvain Dorel
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  4. Frank Bignet
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  5. Jeanick Brisswalter
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  6. Thierry Bernard
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christophe Hausswirth.

Additional information

An erratum to this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-1889-0

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Le Meur, Y., Hausswirth, C., Dorel, S. et al. Influence of gender on pacing adopted by elite triathletes during a competition. Eur J Appl Physiol 106, 535–545 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1043-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1043-4

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