Hanley 2016, pacing in Olympic and World Championship marathons

Analysis of pacing profiles in Olympic and IAAF World Championship marathons (Journal of Sports Sciences). Elite finishers who did not fall off the pace varied their speed by only about 2.9% across the race, and even pacing was associated with better outcomes. Women paced more evenly than men. Running in a pack of similar-ability athletes benefited both sexes, while nomadic pacing alone tended to cost time in the second half. Companion observation: most recreational marathoners run positive splits, with only a small minority achieving negative splits.