Occassional thoughts about orienteering
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| okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering |
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Thursday, October 03, 2002 Then and now...Having the 1983 World Champs and the 2002 European Champs in the same place lets us do some interesting comparisons.Morten Berglia was nearly as fast in 1983 as Buhrer in 2002. Vladimir notes that Berglia ran 6.898 mins/km and Buhrer ran 6.78. Berglia's time is about 7 seconds per kilometer slower.** Annichen ran much slower in 1983 than Luder did in 2002. Vladimir notes that Luder won at 6.12 min/km while Annichen won at 8.46 min/km. Luder ran faster than Buhrer -- by about 45 seconds per kilometer. That's quite fast. I'm not sure, but I think it is quite unusual for the women's race to be won at a faster pace than the men's race. What is going on here? I think the difference between Berglia and Buhrer is inconsequential. In 1983, Berglia ran a longer course on a hotter day. The difference between Luder and Annichen is huge, but perhaps not quite as huge as 2:20 per kilometer might seem. In 1983, Annichen ran a somewhat shorter course, but the course was hillier and the weather hotter. Still, the difference is big. It would be interesting to compare courses from 1983 and 2002 -- are there any big differences in the course setting. Looking at the winner's times, it looks like the women in 2002 are much stronger than the women in 1983. That becomes especially apparent when you realize that Annichen won by over 7:30 while Luder won by just over a minute. Looking at results from 1983 and 2002, one thing that stands out is how much tighter the competition has become. In 1983, the tenth place man was about 45 seconds per kilometer slower than the Berglia. But, in 2002 the tenth place man was only about 17 seconds per kilometer slower than Buhrer. In 1983, the tenth place woman was about 1:18 per kilometer slower than the Annichen. But, in 2002 the tenth place woman was only about 18 seconds per kilometer slower than Luder. Looking at just these two races and leaping to some general conclusions.... The men aren't faster now than 20 years ago, but the fields are stronger. The women are much faster now than 20 years ago and the fields are stronger. ** Note: I'm doing most of the math in my head and not double checking it. I may have made some errors! posted by Michael | 1:40 PM 
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