Interaction of exercise bioenergetics with pacing behavior predicts track distance running performance.

The best possible finishing time for a runner competing in distance track events can be estimated from their critical speed (CS) and the finite amount of energy that can be expended above CS (D´). During tactical races with variable pacing, the runner with the "best" combination of CS and D´ and, therefore, the fastest estimated finishing time prior to the race, does not always win. We hypothesized that final race finishing positions depend on the relationships between the pacing strategies used, the athletes' initial CS, and their instantaneous D´ (i.