Pacing in endurance sport (>2min) is one of the most essential aspects of performance. Regardless of your ability, if you start the race beyond your level of fitness you will slow down at the end. The severity of how much you slow down (blow up) will depend on the race duration and how far beyond your ability you went at the start.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the longer your event is, the more important pacing is. In an ultramarathon or Enduro MTB, your potential to overpace at the beginning is high and the consequences can be drastic. Understandably, when you begin your A-race, you are fresh and ready to go, which makes the initial phase (or stage) feel that much easier. However, going out even slightly too hard can have you losing minutes by the end. In the case of an ultramarathon or ironman, if you have to resort to walking, you can lose anywhere from 6–10 min per kilometre. In an MTB race, a lack of concentration could have you over the bars and not moving at all! By slowing down by a few Watts or 30 s–1 min per kilometre at the start, you may be able to avoid your drastic demise.

We talk about the science of pacing and how you can pace yourself to perfection.

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Dr Will O'Connor and Dr Matt Miller (A.K.A MTB PhD) are sports scientists who work with a plethora of endurance athletes from professionals to amateurs.

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