World 100m running record progression: me

wimmers Improved Much Faster Than Runners

Men’s 400m run: 43.8 (1968) to 43.18 (2011)

Men’s 100m swim: 52.2 (1968) to 46.91 (2011)
Ages of world records
11 women’s world records
are more than 20 yrs old

2 men’s records
are more than 20 years old
 The Triathlon is
Biased !

Winner spent 16.7% of the time swimming, 28.3% running,

0.8% in transitions, and 54.2% cycling !
 The Equitempered
Triathlon
oughly equal time on each discipl
Current event
1.5 km swim + 40 km bike ride +10 km run

Better to keep the total time roughly the same – say 1 hr 48m
with equal 36 min time on each of the three stages

New event should be

3 km swim + 24 km bike ride + 12 km run

A Major Improvement !
Why Carry Do Tightrope Walkers Carry
Long Poles ?

Phillipe Petit, 1974

Don’t try this at home! ….and don’t wear bell-bottomed trousers

 Inertia
• High inertia
Slow to move
high • Low inertia
low
Quick to move

Mass M
Average radius R
mass spread C

Moment of Inertia = C  Mass  (Radius)2

arge inertia means you wobble more slow
slo

Period of wobble oscillation  (inertia)

Stable Unstable
 Inertia in Sports

 Divers
 Skaters
 Tennis players
 Cyclists
 Runners
Decreasing inertia
Increases rate
of spin:   1/r2
Rigging Rowing Eights
Rowing Has Its Moments

+N
F and F
-N
 The Wiggling Boat

Moment on boat = -Ns + N(s+r) - N(s+2r) + N(s+3r) = +2Nr

Then, half a stroke later…N reverses to –N and..

Moment on boat = -2Nr

 The Italian Rig

s r r r

Moment = -Ns + N(s+r) + N(s+2r) - N(s+3r) = 0

No wiggle!
Four no-wiggle rigs for eights

‘Italian tandem Rig ’

Moment = 1-2-3+4+5-6-7+8 = 0

New*

Moment = 1-2-3+4-5+6+7-8 = 0

‘German Rig’

Moment = 1-2+3-4-5+6-7+8 = 0

New*

Moment = 1+2-3-4-5-6+7+8 = 0
nada used the German rig to win 2008 Olymp

1-2+3-4-5+6-7+8 = 0
Naim Suleymanoglu (b.1967) lifts 3 times his body weight (= 64kg)
 Weight Classes
Why do we have them in
boxing, wrestling, judo and weightlifting?

But not in
Shot put, hammer, rowing, …..?

Why not height classes in high jump and basketball?

 Strength versus Size
Strength is proportional to area  R2

Weight is proportional to volume  R3

Strength and Weight
strength  (weight)2/3

Giants eventually break!

(strength)3  (weight)2
 Air Drag
 Speed V Area, A(Bolt)

Mass of tube of air swept in time t is   A’  V  t = ma

 = air density
A’ = c  A(runner) is the ‘effective’ body area

c = drag factor

Drag force from still air = -maV /t = - c A V2

Drag force with wind speed W = - c A (V - W)2

Following wind is + and Headwind is –

 Running around in the Wind
Drag force with wind speed W is  (V - W)2
Power needed = Force x velocity  V(V - W)2

Following wind is + and Headwind is –

Disadvantage of headwind and crosswind beats

the advantage of a tailwind of the same magnitude

K(V+W)2 Wind speed W in this direction

Drag Runner runs at speed V in still air
K(V2+W2)
round squareK(V2+W2)
track
Drag Force per lap = 4K(V2 + W2)  4KV2
K(V-W)2 K = constant

It’s always slower running laps in the wind

Windy 400m- 10,000m races will be slowe
 Steady Pace Is Always More
Economical
Go at speed U for dist x then at W = U for dist y = x/
Go at speed U for dist x then at W = U for dist y = x/
or
Go at speed ½ (U + W) for dist x+ y in the same time so  = 1
Change speed
x at U y at W

x + y at ½ (U + W)
Same speed all the way

Work needed  ( speed)3  time

(Work at varied pace) = 1 + 3( - 1)2/ ( + 1)2  1

(Work at steady pace)
 The Velodrome

Heated air at track leve

Means
Faster cycling
 Hot air rises !
Drag force from still air  air c A V2

Air Density Falls with Temperature

Drag at Track Level in the London Velodrome
Drag Force  air × frontal area × V2

Just like an ‘altitude-assisted’ performance

Worth 1.5 sec over 4K pursuit