Comment by pandaman
20 hours ago
There were two men running in front of him for a while (and both just stopped eventually and just dropped off) - was it to "pull" him in their slipstream?
20 hours ago
There were two men running in front of him for a while (and both just stopped eventually and just dropped off) - was it to "pull" him in their slipstream?
Partially. They're called rabbits[1] (or pacers) whose official role is to run a specific pace, who help encourage a fast race overall rather than a slow buildup with a fast kick.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacemaker_(running)
Very smart. Would be awesome if they had these in track cycling.
FWIW they are generally not allowed at majors / world championships / Olympics, just at invite meets where the goal is to promote a fast time