Speakers
Description
Objective:
Technological innovations in technology and scientific training regimes are central mechanisms behind improvements in elite sports performance. Middle- and long-distance running represents one of many global sports with a tremendous development in winning performances in international championships in the last decade. This study aims to examine the impact of scientific training regimes and technological innovation on performance enhancement in middle- and long-distance running.
Methods:
The study is based on data from Norwegian middle- and long-distance running and consists of both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative analyzes of participation rates in running events and Norwegian records between 2000 and 2020, supplemented by qualitative interviews with stakeholders in Norwegian running organizations.
Results
The qualitative interviews provided insights into the impact of technological innovations on performance and participation, highlighting the impact of scientific training regimes inspired by Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen, as well as carbon fiber soled running shoes as important contributions to overall performance enhancement in Norwegian middle- and long-distance running. The quantitative analyses revealed that participation rates in the national championships had a 52% increase from the early 2000s to 2020.
Discussion:
Combining quantitative and qualitative data in our analysis, we discuss how science and technological innovation impacts performance and participation in running. From our data, two technological innovations with a prominent impact on performance enhancement in running are carbon fiber soled running shoes and novel intensity measures in training regimes.
Conclusion:
Scientific training regimes and technological innovation have impacted Norwegian elite runners’ performances in middle- and long-distance running. Some of these runners hold Olympic and World Records, suggesting transferability of our results to other sports contexts.
