Controlling the Pace Can Speed a Trip to the Podium

The final result in distance running at international championships largely depends on who takes control of the pace of the race. You can have a slow race that comes down to the final lap or two and is designed to benefit the runner with the fastest finishing speed.
Or, you can have a faster race that progressively drops runners from the lead pack and tests the competitors’ condition for the entire distance. No matter which course of action is taken, it is usually not taken alone. It requires teamwork, and runners from Kenya and Ethiopia, the two countries that have dominated long-distance running for years, have perfected the art.
“People from both nations are willing to sacrifice themselves for the better of one of their teammates,” said Kara Goucher, an American who ran in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in the 2008 Olympics and on Sunday will compete in the 2012 Olympic marathon. Often the team will know beforehand which of its runners has the best shot at a gold medal, and it will devise a plan around that runner.