Fernandes G D, Laureano Gandur Nazir, Santos Dioser, Maldonado Victor
Mechanical Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ, USA.
Sports Med Open. 2025 Jan 27;11(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s40798-024-00802-9.
Drafting for drag reduction is a tactic commonly employed by elite athletes of various sports. The strategy has been adopted by Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge on numerous marathon events in the past, including the 2018 and 2022 editions of the Berlin marathon (where Kipchoge set two official world records), as well as in two special attempts to break the 2 h mark for the distance, the Nike Breaking2 (2017) and the INEOS 1:59 Challenge (2019), where Kipchoge used an improved drafting formation to finish in 1:59:40, although that is not recognized as an official record.
In this study, the drag of a realistic model of a male runner is calculated by computational fluid dynamics for a range of velocities. The formations employed in the past by Kipchoge, as well as alternative formations, are analyzed and systematically compared with respect to mechanical power. In a quest to show that running an official marathon in under 2 h is possible, the power analysis is extended to the pacers. We developed a simple drafting and pacing strategy that Kipchoge could have used to run the 2022 Berlin marathon in a surprising 1 h, 59 min and 48 s.
Elite marathon runners can make better use of the pacers to experience reduced drag in races. The associated energy reduction makes it possible to run faster, finishing the race in less time. Using a better drafting strategy and a positive splitting pacing strategy, Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge could have broken the sub 2 h barrier in both the 2018 and 2022 editions of Berlin Marathon.
为减少阻力而采用的跟随战术是各类运动项目的精英运动员常用的策略。肯尼亚跑步运动员埃鲁德·基普乔格在过去的众多马拉松赛事中都采用了这一策略,包括2018年和2022年的柏林马拉松赛(基普乔格在这两场比赛中创造了两项官方世界纪录),以及两次冲击马拉松2小时大关的特别尝试,即耐克破二挑战(2017年)和INEOS 1:59挑战(2019年),在后者中基普乔格采用了改进的跟随阵型,最终以1小时59分40秒完赛,不过这一成绩未被认可为官方纪录。
在本研究中,通过计算流体动力学计算了男性跑步者真实模型在一系列速度下的阻力。分析了基普乔格过去采用的阵型以及其他替代阵型,并就机械功率进行了系统比较。为了证明在2小时内跑完一场官方马拉松是可行的,功率分析扩展到了领跑员。我们制定了一种简单的跟随和配速策略,基普乔格本可利用该策略在2022年柏林马拉松赛中以惊人的1小时59分48秒完赛。
精英马拉松运动员可以更好地利用领跑员来在比赛中减少阻力。由此带来的能量减少使得跑得更快、在更短时间内完成比赛成为可能。采用更好的跟随策略和积极的分段配速策略,肯尼亚跑步运动员埃鲁德·基普乔格本可在2018年和2022年的柏林马拉松赛中突破2小时大关。