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Strava Unveils Insights to Enhance Performance for London Marathon ParticipantsTraining with Companions Significantly Boosts Race OutcomesSolo Runners Face Greater Risk of Fatigue During Races
As the London Marathon draws near, Strava has released significant findings that indicate training with a group can be a crucial element in achieving personal bests and overall race success.
Strava, renowned as a leading fitness application and now the parent company of Runna, has stated that 60% of the runners set to compete in the 2024 London Marathon tracked their training on their platform. This data provides a unique perspective on runner performance trends and behaviors.
In addition to analyzing various factors such as demographics and gender, Strava’s latest insights emphasize the positive effects of social training on athlete performance. With the event still a few weeks away, there’s ample opportunity for runners to incorporate group training into their routines.
Avoid Running Alone
The data from Strava indicates that those who trained alongside others are “significantly less likely” to experience fatigue towards the end of the marathon, a phenomenon known as “bonking” or “hitting the wall.” This occurs when a runner slows down by more than 10% in the final 10 kilometers of the race.
Specifically, the statistics show that only 29% of runners who included training partners in their activities experienced bonking, compared to a striking 45% of those who trained alone.
In addition to the benefits of social training, Strava found that approximately two-thirds of London Marathon runners documented at least one non-running workout during their preparation. This underscores the value of diversity and cross-training in the lead-up to the marathon.
Concerned about potential race times? There’s no need to fret. Strava’s findings indicate that less than 10% of participants finish the marathon in under three hours, while fewer than half cross the finish line in four hours. In fact, 79% of runners complete the race within five hours, suggesting that setting a goal around this benchmark may be reasonable.
As runners plan their final weeks leading up to the marathon, Strava notes that many will start tapering their training, typically reducing their weekly mileage to about 30 kilometers (approximately 18.6 miles). In the week preceding the race, it is common for runners to cap their runs at around 12 kilometers.
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