Powering Toward Los Angeles: Comparing Power Output and Pacing Approach Between Maximal 2000- and 1500-m On-Water Racing in Elite Rowers

Purpose: To compare power output and pacing between maximal 1500- and 2000-m on-water rowing performances. Methods: Twenty-six (female n = 4, male n = 22) international rowers, across 6 boat classes, completed maximal 1500- and 2000-m on-water races, separated by 24 to 48 hours. Crew combinations and seat orders remained consistent between races. Peach PowerLine instrumentation measured power output and stroke rate. Differences in completion time, mean power output (MPO), percentage prognostic velocity (PPV; percentage of world record velocity in each boat class), stroke rate, and pacing variance were assessed using linear mixed modeling. Results: Compared with 2000-m, completion times were 90.4 (6.1) seconds shorter over 1500 m (−24.7% [0.7%]). Both MPO (P = .255, η²_p = .06) and PPV (P = .340, η²_p = .18) were not different between distances. Broadly, crews adopted a reverse-J-shaped pacing across both distances, demonstrating a reduced variance over 1500 m (P = .035, η²_p = .62). Percentage change in MPO from 2000 to 1500 m demonstrated a strong negative association with pacing variance over 1500 m (R² = .74, P = .027). Conclusions: International rowing crews did not increase MPO or PPV when racing maximally over 1500 m compared to 2000 m. Comparable strategies were adopted over both distances, with less variance in pacing observed over 1500 m. The crews that demonstrated greater increases in MPO over the shorter race employed a flatter pacing strategy. To improve 1500-m on-water performance, rowers may need to adopt a more even pacing approach.