Practical Triathlon

One of the numbers that can be valuable when evaluating your Ironman race performance is the Run/Bike ratio, or the total run time divided by the total bike time.  The ratio is course specific so you won’t want to put emphasis on the absolute value, but rather the comparison of your ratio to the top finishers in the race.

For example, a hilly bike course and flat run course may mean that you have a low Run/Bike ratio but you’ll likely see a tighter range in the ratio at the front end of the field.

Here’s a look at some data from the 2010 Ironman World Championship:

Run/Bike for Top 10 finishers
Average: .611
Range: .579 to .644

Run/Bike for All finishers
Average: .710
Range: .293 to 1.519

This number can be valuable because it can help you to identify poor pacing strategy or strength/weakness in your run or bike performance.  One of the keys to optimal Ironman performance is pacing on the bike to allow for a strong marathon finish.  An over aggressive pace on the bike will be paid for by a slower marathon performance (a higher Run/Bike ratio).  While an over conservative bike pace may result in a maxed out marathon performance but time left on the table on the bike course (a lower Run/Bike ratio).

An assumption here is that the fastest finishers (typically the pros) are the most dialed in on optimal pacing for maximum bike and run performance.  If your Run/Bike ratio is in the range of the top finishers and you performed near the best of your ability then you likely finished near your best time for your ability and preparation.

I’ll evaluate some other races and post some data on Run/Bike ratio at a later date.  If anyone else has data or opinions on this metric please comment with links, data, etc.

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