Are Tactics Important For Middle And Long Distance Athletes?

    Well thought out competition strategies win races. Good physical and mental conditioning will give you the edge over other competitors but, as David Lowes explains, without excellent tactical planning, success rates will fluctuate immensely. Lowes is a Level 4 coach (endurance) in Britain.

By David Lowes, U.K.

    Athletes can be extremely well prepared for an event through hard work and be highly confident of success, but if the effort isn't produced at the right time, physical and mental attributes can be undermined. Good tactics can be only successful if fitness levels are high and self-belief matches them. Tactics are therefore vital to success and are part of the triumvirate that is needed for the perfect performance. There is a lot more to success than good tactics in a race and in some cases these can be preempted before a race, but more about that later.
    Tactics are defined as: "An expedient for achieving a goal"; "A maneuver" and also "A technique for securing an objective." Therefore training and mindsets must be fine-tuned to cope with personal tactics and tactics that the opposition may enact. Some say you should go into a race with Plan A and Plan B so that you are prepared in case it is not run the way you had premeditated. But in reality, perhaps if you have Plan C and Plan D as back-ups it may be helpful so that nothing will upset the rhythm and delivery towards a positive result.
    Although nowadays athletes are unfortunately judged by how fast they run by the media, with slow times being given negativity even if the athlete has won his or her race, the art of tactics has lost some of its credibility. World records may be the icing on the top of the cake, but tactics and winning champion­ships are the main ingredients and the essential mix for running faster than the opposition.
    Even if an athlete goes into a race without a preconceived plan, success or failure will center on not only physical attributes, but how effort is distributed over the distance of the competition. In this article, I will look at possible tactics and scenarios encountered at 800m, 1500m, 5000m/10,000m, marathon and cross country events plus indoor running.
    Tactics are rarely practiced in training sessions and the more instances of differing paces and positional awareness experienced by the athlete the better. There are many imponderables that dictate what tactics should be employed and these include: athlete capability, opposition capability, weather conditions, course layout and geographical location, underfoot conditions, number of competitors in the race, qualifying round or final plus qualifying times.
    In an ideal world an athlete should be running his race feeling relaxed, balanced and in control and ready to respond to any maneuver or change in pace. Because of this the athlete should be in a position to accelerate from the front or further down the field. An instance where athletes get caught out is when someone jumps past quickly and the rest of the field follows. An athlete can go from being in a good position to ending up at the back and boxed in whilst the new leaders take off, and usually it is race over due to the loss of momentum. This is particularly relevant at the shorter distances when response time is minimal.
    One of the biggest sins an athlete can commit is to either leave space on the inside or move out into lane two when it is not necessary in the final stretch, allowing a rival to steal a march with no effort or extra distance covered on his part. This is normally demoralizing, especially when another athlete goes past on the outside at the same time and any impetus the former leader had is lost.

Athlete capability
    This is not necessarily the ultimate potential of the athlete but what shape the athlete is in at the time of a particular race. If the athlete is not as fit as he could be due to a previous illness or injury he may have to consider running a much different race from the normal plan to get as good a result as possible.
 

Opposition capability

    How anyone applies himself in a race depends greatly on the quality of the opposition and what tactics they may employ. Although some athletes are self-confessed "kickers" preferring to follow the pace and sprint for home using their superior speed, no one should ever expect any race to be run one dimensionally. Always expect the unexpected is the best way to ap­proach tactics and don't enter any race with only one plan, unless you are a Bekele or Dibaba. Even they prepare themselves for anything the opposition may throw at them.
 

Weather conditions

    Climatic conditions can affect individuals dramatically and change the outcome of races significantly. Running in hot and humid conditions doesn't suit anyone, but some cope much better than others and those who live and train in those environments have a distinct advantage. So if you are an international running in a major event in those conditions some sort of acclimatization will be needed to offset this disadvantage.
    Adverse temperature isn't always heat-related and extremes of cold can be encountered in a winter season. Cold usually affects athletes the least, although some find it difficult to operate efficiently. Rain very rarely hinders athletes though if it is freezing cold as well then improperly attired athletes will suffer.
    Wind is probably an athlete's worst natural enemy and if the tactic is to run from the front then strength will be drained from the leader if the wind is particularly strong. He is battling two elements---the field and the resistance of the wind. Obviously all of these things are exacerbated the longer the racing distance. Heat in particular will affect an 800m athlete much less than an athlete competing in a marathon.
    Those running indoors may find the smaller running area and sloping bends problematic but one advantage is that the temperature is constant and there is no problem with the wind, so front running is a much easier option; indeed many do this as they can control and dictate the pace to their satisfaction.
 

Course layout and geographical location
    All cross country and road courses are different. Some may be flat, some may be hilly and others will incorporate both. Add to this twists and turns, single and multiple laps and varying underfoot conditions for cross country and tactics probably play an integral part as much as physical attributes.
    Races at altitude for sea-level athletes are very difficult indeed and although altitude acclimatization is essential, those who are born and live there have an underlying advantage. 5000m and 10,000m races at altitude in particular are very difficult for sea-level athletes though races at the marathon at medium altitudes are not so difficult due to the aerobic requirements of the event.
 

Underfoot conditions

    Just like racehorses some athletes run well in heavy conditions whilst others only perform well on firm ground and the lucky ones are adept on either. Deciding where to make a break or increase the pace in such conditions must be given a lot of thought so that maximum impact can be made and maintained.
 

Number of competitors in race

    Although not usually a problem for the elite athlete, mass fields in cross country and road races can hinder progress and pace judgment. However in track events the number of competitors especially in 800m and 1500m races dictates where the athlete needs to be to strike for home. In indoor races this requires even greater attention due to the smaller and more difficult running circuit, and intelligent positioning is almost as important for success as physical prowess. Elbows are pointed and arms bend at right angles for a reason! They prevent competitors running too closely and make them run wide around bends especially in an indoor competition.

QUALIFICATION RACE

    Track championships usually involve heats and a final, and qualifying is a necessity. More often than not heats are run erratically and this can cause problems with bumping and in some cases accidental tripping due to the uncertainty of the pace with athletes only wanting to do enough to qualify. It must be remembered that in track races athletes run very closely together with minimum gaps between the athlete in front and everyone is trying to occupy the inside lane so some sort of body contact is inevitable. Some races which athletes run in are a last chance to reach a qualifying time and the pace needed must be exactly what is required so that the athlete can maintain a strong pace right to the tape.

800m TACTICS

    Standard championship two­lap races have eight or nine competitors whilst some Grand Prix races may have 10 on the start line. As the first 200m is often the fastest, this is where jostling for position and settling in occurs and where most danger of accidental heel clipping can happen due to the speed of the athletes and no one wanting to give any quarter. After breaking from the lane draws the athletes should aim to reach the 200m distance in lane one or two in as straight a line as possible. Some youngsters tend to break almost at right angles which has two effects: extra distance cov­ered and dangerous in respect of impeding other athletes.
    The 800m is probably one of the most difficult races to run tactically with positional awareness vital for success. It is one race where it would be rare in a championship if anyone actually ran exactly 800m due to the maneuvering to gain the most advantageous positions. To run the perfect race requires a smooth passage with little or no slowing down or sudden increases in pace and no radical repositioning. As the race is often termed an "extended sprint" any tactical errors will therefore be costly.
    Championships can involve at least heat, semi and final and planning how to qualify safely without too much energy loss can be a problem. Slow tactical races can present major difficulties and qualifying takes on as much importance as winning a medal in the final. Some qualifying requirements can be tough with only the first or second to go forward to the next round with a large amount of fastest losers also qualifying. Those in the first round heats will have no idea how fast the remaining heats are going to be run, so decisions will have to be made if automatic qualifying is going to be difficult.
    Many close-run races usually necessitate athletes finishing in lanes 2, 3 or 4 to gain a clear run to the tape. It is a fallacy that an athlete must hug the curb to save energy and not run overdistance in the two-lap race. Positioning is always more important than getting boxed in with no chance of getting out of that box. Obviously in 5000m and 10,000m races running wide for long periods will incur much extra distance and energy wastage. An 800m athlete must be strong, fast, positive, intelligent and aggressive. Without those qualities success will be difficult.
    Depending on an athlete's tendencies---front runner? goes with 200m to go? waits until the final straight?---being in the position that allows his preferred tactic to hap­pen is crucial. As the race is only over 800m any major tactical faux pas usually results in a negative outcome. A 3- or 4-meter gap may be nothing over 1500m and above but at this distance it can feel like the proverbial mile.
    Running on the leader's right shoulder is a wise move and allows an easy vantage point to move past when ready and also allows a position to cover any breaks from behind. Most male races involve much faster first laps than last laps with the first 200m usually run far too quickly. In general, females tend to run more economically, although there are always exceptions.
    If you study various races and athletes as examples you will notice extremes of tactics but all with the same outcome---victory. In the Athens Olympics Kelly Holmes ran from the rear of the field and ran at her pace which was virtually the same for each 200m split and finished faster than anyone else. This was a supremely confident performance and needed great mental strength to be successful.

    Yuriy Borzakovskiy is a profound run-at-the-back athlete and a notoriously fast finisher. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. It worked at the 2004 Athens Olympics though!
    The 1980 Moscow Olympics 800 was infamous for two reasons: the favorite Seb Coe ran an inept tactical race whilst Steve Ovett bossed the race and finished supreme. Indeed, Ovett in his earlier days ran only to win and burst past his rivals at 200m with such speed and power that he opened up insurmountable gaps before the opposition could respond.
    At the top level, male races can be run at 49-50 seconds for the first lap which will stretch the field out with the athletes working hard, but slower 53-54 second paces will have the field bunched with the athletes running in lane one and two at the bell ready to pounce for home.
    Indoor 800m races need even more tactical awareness with fewer passing opportunities due to the smaller oval. A good tip for running the distance indoors is to never be out of the top two places to cover any breaks or mishaps. Getting boxed in usually means disaster no matter what the ability of the athlete and those who can lead around the final bend and finish strongly will usually be successful. Accidental bumping and tripping are part and parcel of indoor running and disqualifications are not uncommon.

1500M TACTICS

    As you will see as I go through the tactical scenarios of each event that the longer the distance competed over, the importance of being in immediate contact with the leaders has lesser importance, but tactical awareness is vital to success no matter what distance is run.
    As the 1500m is the first middle distance event to start on a curved line, close contact is inevitable in the first stretch of the race. Many athletes will invariably target the inside lane as quickly as possible, but in a fast race in particular, athletes would be better advised to run the shortest distance possible to the first bend and then settle into the position that is appropriate to their plan. Energy conservation is important in the 1500m and those who have adequate energy supplies left for the last lap usually have a good chance of attaining their goals.
    Concentration is important in the 1500m. The number of competitors in a race will usually be 12, although some invitational events will fit in many more. If the field is strung out, the distance between first and last can be much greater than in an 800m race and although the pace is generally slower, the gap cannot be allowed to get too big if a strike for home is planned with much "traffic" to negotiate to hit the front.
    Some team or championship races over the years such as the Europa Cup have produced unbelievably slow paces for three laps before ending up as a 400m sprint. Other races can be like the 1974 Commonwealth Games where Filbert Bayi set an incredible pace over the first two laps---a pace which hadn't been seen before and seemed foolish, but he prevailed and with a world record!
    Athletes like Steve Cram regularly upped the pace significantly over the final 500m-600m with great success. Current world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj had the innate ability to subtly increase the pace over the final 600m-800m in a way that is energy efficient but also damaging to his opponents. Kelly Holmes' Athens Olympic winning run replicated her 800m tactics, staying at the back and covering any moves when necessary. What that did allow her to do was conserve energy for her final surge over the final 150m. Athletes like Rui Silva and Fermin Cacho are noted "kickers" and like to follow and finish very quickly and have been very successful with those tactics at the highest levels.
    In the 800m you probably aren't allowed any tactical errors with so little time to respond, but the 1500m may allow for some minor indiscretions with more time to react, providing the athlete has the physical attributes to cover the situation at the time. Most situations require a cool head and those who panic usually end up at the back of the field. The only way of learning how to handle these situations is through practice and experience. Pace distribution is therefore crucial to the execution of any race and unnecessary increases in tempo early on or mid-race will have adverse effects with anaerobic deficiencies and lactate accumulation which needs to be reserved for the end of the race.
    Indoor races over 7 laps need much concentration and a fixation on where the athlete wants and needs to be in the competition. If most of the field tends to pick up the pace outdoors with 400m remaining then indoors this will be with two laps to go and this can be psychologically difficult. The judgment of effort is different as there will be four straights and four bends to negotiate. Pace distribution should be easier however with times being given every 200m as opposed to 400m outdoors.
 

5000M/10,000M

    These events are now becoming some of the hardest to be successful at due to the awesome performances of African athletes at the highest level. They are almost turning out to be 11th and 24 laps of hard running and then a 400m at breakneck speed---and that goes for both male and female races.
    These races require great concentration no matter what level the athlete is at. It is amazing how many athletes can run good 5k and 10k races at cross country and on the roads but cannot run well on a track. Every step is the same on the track and the athlete knows exactly where they are and how far they have to go and this can be daunting for many. Pace judgment is extremely important for these events and too fast a pace in the early stages may prove to be unwise later on. It is rare that athletes come back from running too fast; they will suffer greatly with later lap times reflecting their distress.
    These events will have around 18 athletes or more in them and it is now common to see double start lines to avoid congestion in the first 100m. Due to the extra laps to be negotiated it is important to run as efficiently as possible with lap times being consistent as possible until the bell lap. Being in a comfortable position with ability to cover the leaders is vital and a smooth run is the best way to save energy for the final 400m.
    However, mid-race bursts, surges and breaks with 1000m or so remaining must be expected, so positional and race awareness is vital as in any other race. There are some athletes who will stay near the front for the entirety of the race but never take the lead until the final lap. Their sole aim is damage limitation to their own energy reserves and saving their "kicks" for maximum effect. One of the greatest at this type of tactic was the incredible Miruts Yifter who ran unbelievable speeds over the last 300m; Derartu Tulu also used similar tactics in her great races.
    Looking at some past races illustrates what ammunition a top athlete needs to be successful at these events which are not only endurance events but ones that require great speed and mental toughness. My all-time favorite race is the 1976 Olympic 5000m final with Lasse Viren running the last four laps close to 4 minutes and "outlasting" and demoralizing the 1500m specialists who were queuing up behind him with 100m remaining. It was he who finished the strongest and also the fastest in the sprint for the line, running 55 seconds for the final 400m and 13 seconds for the last 100m.
    Brendan Foster liked to incorporate mid-race surges of fast 400m efforts or longer to totally take the field apart, a tactic which was necessary due to his poor basic speed. Eamonn Coghlan's World Championship victory in 1983 was special in that he not only won, but with 150m to go he started to celebrate whilst in second place due to his absolute confidence of winning! A modem day great like Kenenisa Bekele can run the race anyway that is necessary, world record pace, mid-race surges or a blistering finish and that is why, at the moment, he is virtually unbeatable.
    The 5000m is not a championship event indoors but the 3000m is and the 15 laps requires an unfluctuating pace and being in close contact with the leaders to cover any sudden increase in pace. So total concentration is vital with a constant focus on the front of the field to anticipate any change in tempo or personnel. A strong final four laps is necessary to get a good result along with a flat-out last 200m.

MARATHON

    The classic road distance of 26 miles 385 yards is one where many top class athletes over the half-marathon distance have failed miserably. Endurance is needed in abundance, but concentration, patience and mental toughness are three other vital ingredients in this event. As pace judgment is more important than in any other event to prevent energy levels running out before the finish, carefully planned race strategies are vital. This is not easy when the athlete is feeling fresh in the early stages and holding back is imperative. It is the one event where an athlete can be looking and feeling great at 22 miles, for example, and be totally exhausted at 23 miles. The mindset of a marathoner must be totally focused on where he is in the race. Looking and thinking ahead too far can be disastrous.
    Although most will have pre-set pace targets for each mile, the problem for many is deciding and knowing what to do when someone goes off much quicker or breaks away at some point in the race. Can the athlete be sure that the breakaway athlete will come back to him? This is where experience and patience come to playa major role.
    For many marathoners the first 13 miles is purely a settling in phase, making sure they get to that point as fresh as possible and then reevaluating their plans. Their next objective may be to get to 18 miles in a similar state and then start thinking about where or when they can make a push to win the race.
    As rhythm and pace judgment is paramount to success, even a slight increase in pace at certain times in a race can be counter-productive. In a big city marathon it can be quite easy to get caught up in the atmosphere with an adrenalin rush once the spectators start cheering you on. Before you realize it you have picked up the pace too quickly and begin to suffer soon afterwards.
    Marathons can have close finishes so speed is also needed to ensure victory Probably the most famous close finish was the 2003 London marathon where five athletes entered the Mall together and at the finish only 14 seconds separated the first seven, with only 1 second between first and third.
    The 2005 New York marathon required a sprint finish with a dip on the line to ensure victory for Paul Tergat over Hendrik Ramala. Paul Tergat ran a world best 2:04.55 in Berlin in 2003 and he only won by 1 second from compatriot Sammy Korir.
    Paula Radcliffe, the 2004 Athens Olympics apart, has dominated her races by huge margins and has run her own race plans and set grueling paces that no one else could match which shows how confident she is in her own physical and mental strengths.

CROSS COUNTRY

    This discipline is different from track events and usually there are no "cat and mouse" tactics with races mostly run at an "honest" pace. Invariably cross country races start off fast and the front runners pursue a hard pace throughout try­ing to drop the opposition through better strength levels or breaking away on an uphill or downhill section of the course. However, pace judgment is imperative for success with racing distances much longer for the 800m and 1500m specialists. Those in the leading pack especially will use some kind of "sit and wait" tactics, deciding whether to wait until the final 400m or make a break with 800m or more to go. A common way of breaking away from the pack is to keep an eye on the opposition's body language, are they suddenly breathing hard, are they slowing down dramatically on a hill for example?
    Whereas breaks from the opposition on the track are usually positive, decisive moves, in cross country these breaks can be subtle and more of a "wearing down" of the opposition and also demoralizing them on a certain section of the course. Obviously the size of the entrants for cross country events can vary from around 50 to 3000 competitors and because of this and the nature of the course, getting into a reasonable position after the start is very important for a positive result. The pace in cross country varies immensely with uphills, downhills, turns and underfoot conditions and because of this a smooth steady run cannot be expected and an athlete could be running at 4:20 mile pace at some stage and 6:20 mile pace at others!
    A useful tactic in cross country races is to try and get 15m-20m on a rival going up a hill and make a huge effort off the top of the hill and try to keep it going for at least another 400m. The 15m-20m can quite easily grow to 50m or more due to the rival getting disheartened. In track races once the field has settled everyone is running in the confined space of one lane, but in cross country the leading bunch can be spread over a much wider area and concentration may be even more important with a fixation on the leaders and also the course geography.
    Finishing speed is just as important as in track events and even after 12k it may come down to the
final 50m to decide the medals. Most cross country specialists are usually successful 5k and 10k track specialists and both the winter and summer disciplines can compliment each other.
    The pace top athletes run over firm, muddy, flat or hilly courses is phenomenal and the speed over the closing stages can be brutal and to watch someone like Bekele is an education in itself. I always tell athletes and coaches alike to watch him at his best from the hips down and you would swear he was running on a track and not strength-sapping grass and mud.

OVERVIEW

    Going back to the start of this article and summing up tactics as a means of achieving an objective and a plan or skill to trick your competitors, it is clear that a race is akin to a game of chess with the moves to win similar, but how they unfold depends on the opposition and how you approach the event.
    Pre-race tactics or in some cases "gamesmanship" by fair means can be used to fool the opposition into a false sense of superiority and these can be some of the tricks in an athlete's repertoire. Dialogues with other athletes conning them into believing that you've been injured or ill and haven't trained can dupe them into believing that they will have no problems in beating you.
    I'm sure sprinters deliberately false start to upset certain competitors and have planned those ploys weeks before to unsettle their rivals. Throwers may intentionally throw a big practice throw or a poor throw before the competition starts to mislead the entrants of the actual outcome. Some athletes warm up in a different place to where the opposition are and only get to the start line when necessary, this can elate or deflate the opposition and shake their tactical plans. Other athletes will appear arrogant, non-talkative, unfriendly in the warmup zone, so the athlete must learn how to dispel any negativity from these mannerisms. It's all kidology of course, but as long as it's fair, it is part and parcel of tactical psychology. Athletes have to be one step ahead of the opposition physically and mentally and it is often felt that a race is won and lost in the warm-up area.
    Whatever race distance you run, if you are leading entering the home straight, stick to the inside lane and don't move from it! It is amazing how many athletes drift into the second lane and allow a hopelessly boxed in athlete a free run to the tape. Finally, train hard and get in fantastic physical shape but think long and hard how you will get the best out of yourself and how you will react to different situations in competitions. In other words, be ready for anything!
 

FROM: TRACK COACH 180