Negative split

A negative split or the action of negative splitting is a racing strategy that involves completing the second half of a race faster than the first half. It is defined by the intentional setting of a slower initial pace, followed by either a gradual or sudden increase of speed towards the end of a race. There are similar but different strategies that can easily be confused with negative splitting such as "even splitting" (racing at a steady pace) or "sit and kick" (also known as a sprint finish). Conversely, the act of completing the first half of a race faster is known as a positive split.^[1]

Negative splitting has been a strategy well documented in professional running since the early 20th century. Runners including Steve Prefontaine, Wilson Kipsang, Julia Lucas, and Galen Rupp have used them in races. Like every racing strategy there are pros and cons, with negative splitting having its strengths in shaving time off the clock and its weakness being that it will not always get the runner the win, but often has led to wins.

Negative split strategies are also used in swimming (including Janet Evans's 1988 Olympic gold in the 400 m freestyle)^[2] cycling, triathlon and horse racing.^[3][4][5]

Definition

Negative splitting is a race strategy, where the runner will run the second half of his/her race faster than the first part of the race.^[6] That is the general definition but negative splitting is possible at any point where there is a distinct decrease in time from the first chunk of the race to a later chunk where the latter part is faster than the first part. It does not have to be split right down the middle of a distance. Yet, negative splitting is different from running strategies that rely on the runners kick to win a race or get a time in the last lap/stretch of a race.

Similar strategies

The Strategies talked about below are easily confused with running negative splits because the runner can appear to be negative splitting when they really are not.

Even splitting

It is a racing strategy where the runner is looking to hit an exact time. To do this the runner will have to run the same split for every lap/distance considered a split to hit the time.^[7] For example, if a runner want to hit a 4:40 in a 1600-meter race, on a 400-meter track, the runner would have to hit 70 seconds a lap, with each lap counting as a split to achieve this goal. To use this strategy the runner must run his/her own race and not get pulled along or bogged down by the competition. If the runner does get tied up in the race and the first part is slower than the intended pace this strategy can easily turn into a negative split strategy to make up for the time gained earlier in the race.

One of the best examples of even splitting come from Dave Wottle in the 1972 Olympics in the 800-meter finals. Wottle ran a 1:45 for that race even splitting 26 seconds for each 200-meter split. The race can be watched on YouTube by searching "1972 Olympic 800m Final".^[8]

Sit and kick

This strategy, also known as a sprint finish, relies on the runner's kick at the end of the race, with the ultimate goal of winning the race by out kicking the leader or leaders. To use this strategy, the runner usually hangs with the lead pack for the majority of the race, not pushing the pace or trying to break away, until the bell lap or final section of the race the runner that was sitting with the others will make their move and kick, or increase their pace, with everything they have. This strategy relies on the runner using the strategy having a better kick than the rest of the field. If he/she doesn’t have a better kick this strategy will most likely not work. Sitting and kicking can also be confused with negative splitting, especially if the runner employing this strategy makes his move earlier than the last 300-meters or so of a race.

Athletes using negative splits

Wilson Kipsang

Steve Prefontaine

One of the most noted runners in America was using negative splits to train and run all the way back to when he was in High School. In one example, Prefontaine’s goal was to run a 9-minute and 44 second two-mile. That called for Prefontaine, or Pre, as he is commonly known as, to run a 73-second pace per lap to hit the time of 9:44. Instead of running a flat pace that he would have to hit each lap, Prefontaine’s high school coach, Coach McClure, had him run the first 6 laps at 75 seconds a lap. This put Pre twelve seconds over the pace, 7:15 when finished with lap 6. Leaving the last two laps to make it up by negative splitting a 70-second seventh lap and then a 65-second last lap.^[9] That is one example of Prefontaine using negative splitting.

Wilson Kipsang

Kipsang has the third fastest marathon time at 2 hours 3 minutes and 23 seconds, ran in Berlin, at a 2013 marathon.^[10] Kipsang ran a year earlier, in 2012, at the Honolulu Marathon finishing with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes and 31 seconds.^[11] This marathon was won by negative splitting. Kipsang came through the half waypoint in 1 hour 7 minutes and 7 seconds. He finished the second half of the marathon in 1 hour 5 minutes and 24 seconds.^[11]

Galen Rupp

Galen Rupp

Rupp, a Silver Olympic Medalist, set a new American record in the 5000-meter race hitting 13 minutes 1 second at the Boston University Multi-Team Meet.^[12] He negative split the race with: his first mile at 4 minutes and 14 seconds, the second mile at 4 minutes and 12 seconds, the third mile at 4 minutes and 4 seconds leaving his last 200-meters in 30 seconds.^[13]

Advantages of negative splitting

• It helps build discipline, because everyone’s natural instinct is to begin as fast as they can. It takes a lot of self-restraint to allow others to run ahead and not be pulled along with them, in turn throwing the racing strategy out the window. To run a negative split the runner has to run his/her own race.
• Starting slow allows the runner's body to compensate for the lactic acid that is produced as a by-product of exerting oneself and the low oxygen levels from the exertion.^[14] The people that go out too fast build up more lactic acid faster and this causes them to slow down even though they don’t want to, because their bodies can’t process the lactic acid fast enough.
• Progressively increasing speed in any race allows the opportunity to implement another strategy that will help increase the runner's speed. This strategy calls for the runner to focus in on the person directly ahead and the runner telling him/herself that he/she will pass them by a certain point. Even without implementing the other strategies, the runner can still pass people as they, the other runners, are slowing down from going out too fast in the beginning.^[15]

References