Pacing in cross-country skiing: Insights for Trondheim 2025
An article written by Sophie Herzog, Øyvind Sandbakk, Trond Nystad and Rune Talsnes
Image from Instagram FIS Cross-Country World Cup @fiscrosscountry
Pacing refers to the distribution of energy during endurance events. In recent years, the scientific and practical awareness of pacing strategies to optimize cross-country skiing performance has increased, and today’s elite athletes focus on pacing both during training and competitions. Although this topic is relatively new in cross-country skiing, the role of pacing and corresponding pacing strategies have been emphasized for a long time in other sports such as long-distance running. For running events, it is relatively easy to both assess and execute - in real-time or retrospectively - different pacing strategies using speed or split times from GPS (i.e., global positioning system) watches or lap times on the track. However, pacing patterns and strategies employed during competitions depend on the type of race (for example in Championships, the medals/place counts, whereas in some other races the time is of importance), duration of the event and the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete. Most distance running World Records on the track have been set using so-called even pacing (indicated by similar lap times) or a slight negative split (where pace gets faster over the course of the race, i.e., decreasing lap times). In Championships, where the goal is more focused towards winning medals (as opposed to set records) the pacing strategy in qualifying heats and the final can be tactical and is based on the placement goals and strengths/weaknesses of the athlete, which typically leads to a negative split strategy with a very fast finish.
Challenges of Pacing in Cross-Country Skiing
In comparison, pacing in cross-country skiing is not as straight forward as in running as there are different factors to consider. For example, different racecourses (there are no standardized tracks), sub-technique employment, skis, temperature, wind and snow conditions all influence the athletes’ speed and power distribution. Also, there exists no valid measure of the athlete’s power output and thereby, cross-country skiers need to rely more on internal intensity measures (for example heart rate and rate of perceived exertion). However, the recent development of wearable movement sensors and GPS technology has allowed an increased emphasis on training and race analyses, thereby also enabling more accurate analyses of pacing in cross-country skiing. During individual time-trial events, this was initially done by analyzing lap-to-lap times, and by comparing speed, choice of sub-technique and technical patterns in similar terrain within laps. This enabled athletes to learn how to optimize their pacing behavior.
How Norway Demonstrated a Lesson in Pacing
After years of experimenting with pacing and technology, the Norwegian team displayed a nearly perfect pacing strategy at the 2021 World Championships in Oberstdorf. In the 15km individual time-trial event, the Norwegian athletes all started very conservatively at controlled speeds before increasing their speeds in the last laps. This strategy helped the Norwegian team to win all medals and finishing with 5 athletes in top 7 in the men’s race. To learn an optimal pacing execution takes a long time, and such a perfectly executed race would probably not have been possible without the 15 years of experience with training and race analyses by the Norwegian team. However, during the same time-period, many other teams neglected analyzing and executing different pacing strategies, which might be another reason for the Norwegian dominance.
Finding the Right Strategy
Finding the right “feel” for pacing requires quite a bit of experimenting and training. In the research literature, it is often differentiated between lap-by-lap pacing (so-called macro-pacing) and pacing across different terrains within a lap (so-called micro-pacing). Also, the exact pacing strategies adopted are often dependent on factors like snow conditions, race length, race format, the athletes’ strengths and weaknesses, ski properties etc. For instance, a mass start race in cross-country skiing is not easy to perfectly pace compared to an individual time-trial event, as one must react to the dynamics of the race. However, a pacing strategy can still be used in combination with tactical decisions which present themselves in mass start races.
Key take-aways for optimal pacing in cross-country skiing:
Start races – in particular individual time-trials - “controlled” and aim for an even lap-by-lap pacing with a fast finish. It is important to preserve some energy for the last 2-3 km of the race.
Increase speed slightly over hilltops by a few focused push-offs before going into the tuck position – focus on gaining speed into the subsequent downhill.
Ski within your own limits on the uphill sections – pacing must be sustainable.
It is important to find the correct line in corners on downhills – maintain speed through the corners.
As the World Championships in Trondheim conclude with the highly anticipated mass start races this weekend, success will come down to a balance of smart tactics, sustainable pacing, and well-timed energy distribution. Athletes who can manage their effort while making strategic moves, optimizing nutrition, selecting the right skis and adapting to the weather conditions will have the best chance of claiming the final gold medals of the championship.
Further reading
Several interesting studies have been performed over the last few years, showing the immense potential of optimizing pacing in cross-country skiing. If you are interested in the topic, you should have a look at the following studies:
Losnegard T, Kocbach J, Sandbakk Ø. Pacing Demands in Competitive Nordic Skiing. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2024 Sep 4;20(1):4-16. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2024-0135. PMID: 39231491.
Losnegard T, Tosterud OK, Kjeldsen K, Olstad Ø, Kocbach J. Cross-Country Skiers With a Fast-Start Pacing Pattern Increase Time-Trial Performance by Use of a More Even Pacing Strategy. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2022 May 1;17(5):739-747. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2021-0394. Epub 2022 Feb 21. PMID: 35193112.
