NEWS
WHAT IS THE HARDEST MILE
OF THE LONDON MARATHON?
Strava, the global online community
for athletes, reveals that the
toughest mile for marathon
competitors is mile 25, with mile 22
a close second.
Collecting data from 1,990 Strava
members who uploaded their 2014
London Marathon GPS activity,
the survey results show that many
marathon runners hit the wall in
the final stages of the race. The 25
mile split is the slowest point in
the race with an average elapsed
pace of 9:50/mile, suggesting that
runners hit the fabled wall later than
traditionally thought. The change
represents an 18% slow-down in
pace between their fastest mile, mile
three at 8:05/mile. Mile 22 records a
close, second low at 9:49/mile, which
is just before runners reach the final
feed zone at mile 23. At that point,
data suggests that runners feel
invigorated and start to speed up
again, but pay a price before crossing
the finish line.
Further investigation shows that
Strava members in the 40-49 age
group show their experience and
run a faster race than their younger
contemporaries, finishing with an
average time of 3:43:14, in contrast
to the younger 20-29 age group,
who clock up 3:44:47. The average
overall recorded pace on Strava
during the 2014 London Marathon
was 9:24/mile, with men averaging
8:49/mile and women 10:06/mile.
Patterns show the excitement that
builds at the start of the event, with
the first four miles being the fastest
at an average pace of just over 8:00/
mile.
For more information on Strava, visit
www.strava.com
POLAR LAUNCH ONLINE COACHING SERVICE
Leading heart rate monitor and
sports wearables brand Polar have
announced a new online coaching
service, Polar Flow for Coach,
designed for personal trainers and
coaches to help them easily connect
with and monitor their clients.
Providing a cost and time effective
online training approach, PTs can
see their clients’ training and activity
details automatically tracked to Polar
Flow by their Polar device.
Polar Flow for Coach uses data
tracked by the client’s Polar training
computer, activity tracker or Polar
Beat mobile app, although data
can also be added manually after
training. This information will help
to see if the training plan requires
adaptation or if the client needs
more motivation or guidance.
Useful tools featured in the Polar
Flow include diary-style activity
summaries, adding training targets,
displaying recovery status as well as
a range of reports that can provide
detailed training data analysis and
insights over a longer period of time
to help coaches assess trends and
client progress.
Available in 15 languages and free
to use, find out more at www.polar.
com/coach
FITNESS BUSINESS OWNERS TURN TO MOBILE APPS
Research from app provider Appsme.
com unveils that health and fitness
businesses across the country
are finding that mobile apps are
helping them appeal more to new
customers, as well as improve
engagment with current clients.
Surveying nearly 1,000 businesses,
including gyms, fitness clubs and
sports teams, 79% of industry
workers found that a mobile
app improved the perception of
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their business, with 47% of those
investing in a mobile app saying
that having an app has helped them
improve how they communicate
with their clients, through push
notifications and in-app email.
Nick Barnett, CEO at Appsme.
com said: ‘According to the latest
research from Ofcom, 93% of UK
adults own a mobile phone and 61%
own a smartphone. Add to that the
fact that the same research shows
adults spend more time on their
smartphone than reading print,
listening to the radio or even using
a desktop or laptop computer, it
should be clear that it’s important
for businesses to have a presence
on their customer’s mobile. It’s
not just about having a great app
– businesses need to use them
effectively, making use of powerful
marketing tools like geo-messaging
and push notifications.’
www.exerciseregister.org
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