How do you build the perfect 4 Mile? Well, at least not by running like a hare at the start.
The participants who start quietly and only accelerate later on average note the fastest finishing time. They usually finish a minute earlier than the runners who start fast and slow down later.
This is apparent from an analysis that DvhN made of the times of 18,000 participants to an earlier edition of the 4 Mile.
calf bites
The success of a quiet start has everything to do with two vicious calves at the end of the course: the railway viaduct in the Hereweg and the false flat of the Herestraat. Here you pay a heavy toll if you waste too much energy in the first part of the race. Especially those last 600 very tough meters through the Herestraat break many runners.
Here, on the flanks of the Hondsrug, you bridge a difference in height of no less than 2.7 meters. Uphill of course. So you better make sure you still have enough energy left to break down this treacherous piece of false flat. If not, you will still find your Waterloo within sight of the finish.
Positive or Negative Split
If you cover the first half of the course slower than the second half, you will run a negative split . If you do it the other way around, you walk a positive split . Runners like to discuss which method is better, but that also depends on the course and the individual qualities of the runner. If the race ends uphill, like the 4 Miles of Groningen, the negative split clearly wins.
Walking flat is almost impossible
Surprisingly, DvhN’s data analysis also reveals that the so-called walk flat does not pay on the 4 Mile. The participants who complete the first and second part of the course at approximately the same pace score on average the worst finishing time. In theory, running flat costs the least energy, but then you have to understand the art of running very well. If you don’t, there is a good chance that you will still get wet on the flanks of the Hondsrug.