The relative contribution of the anaerobic and aerobic energy Systems to performance is very important and should be a guide to the balance and amount of training that is oriented to endurance and speed in an athlete's programme. However, research on energy system contribution in the middle-distance events has so far led to mixed findings and debate. Some studies have showed that these events are aerobically dominated while others show they are anaerobically dominated. Using three years of competition programme data from the world's top senior and U18 female 800m and 1500m runners, the author classifies the athletes as speed-type or endurance-type. Analysis of the results shows that there are no type differences for top U18 female athletes but most top senior female middle-distance athletes are speed-type. However, the percentage of endurance-type athletes increases among the finalists at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Based on these findings, the author concludes that i) in youth com- petitions, both speed and endurance type athletes can achieve success, ii) training for senior middle-distance runners should focus more on speed or short-distance/high-intensity, and iii) endurance is important for success at the very highest level of middle-distance competition.
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