An Analytical Study of the Velocity Curve of Indian National Level and World Class 1500m Runners

Abstract

The 1500-meter race, also known as the metric mile, is one of the most prestigious middle-distance track events in athletics. It is contested in both men's and women's competition, and requires a combination of speed, endurance, and strategic pacing. Middle-distance events like 1500 m typically exhibit varied pacing profiles. Studies shown that 1500 m races often follow a parabolic or J-shaped pattern. The race is characterized by moderate opening laps, slowing mid-race, and a strong finish. Despite these general trends, training environment, altitude exposure and gender can also significantly influence velocity curve.  Present study aims to fill these knowledge gaps by comparing velocity curve of Indian and foreign male athletes. The study involves exploration of velocity curve differences between Indian and foreign 1500-m runners. To acquire this, a design based on comparative observation was employed, examining split times from World Athletics and Olympic Games as world class runners and 80th All India Inter University Athletics Championships for India national level runners. The methods of the study include data sourcing by identifying the pacing profiles and statistical procedures. The findings of the study bring about some significant conclusions on the velocity pattern of Indian and foreign 1500-m runners. The intuitions developed from the findings of the study targets to contribute to the deeper understanding of performance characteristics of 1500-m run and can help in training and adopting perfect race strategies especially for Indian national level 1500-m male runners.