Race Strategy
The first thing to say is that if you want to break your Personal Best or hit a particular target you have to commit yourself from the first stroke because it is impossible to make up any dropped time, and you have to be ahead at each marker, although not suicidally so. In terms of what the strokes per minute rate should be, much of it will depend on what splits you are trying to hold. The top rowers will go off at 40+ and settle at around 35-36 before running in at close to 40.
There are two main schools of thought as to what your race strategy should be. Possibly the most common tactic is to do the first 500 metre split the fastest, the last 500 metres the second fastest, the second 500 metres third fastest and the third 500 metres the slowest. The difference between the 500m split times, however, is usually quite small, with no more than four seconds between the fastest and the slowest.
The other school is exemplified by Rob Waddell (above), the three-times world champion. Rob rows for most of the race with his eyes firmly shut, only looking when he gets to each 500 metre checkpoint and towards the end of the race. Rowing with his eyes shut enables him to concentrate more, focusing on how his body is working rather than worrying about what the monitor says. In keeping with this focus on rhythm, rather than adopt a split pattern like the one above, Rob tries to row even-paced splits all the way, preferring to grind the competition down rather than try to burn them off from the start .
Pace Guide
The following is a test protocol devised by the French Rowing Federation (FRF) which attempts to both maximise and predict 2,000m race performance. This protocol is undertaken the day before an athlete's 2,000m test. From the results the FRF then structure a race strategy for the athlete to follow during the race. Test Protocol - the day before the 2,000m test, all athletes complete two 'maximum' tests, first over 100m, and then 500m. Between the two tests a 15 minute active recovery is necessary (low intensity rowing). After the 500m test athletes are required to complete another reasonably long period of low intensity rowing to ensure the body is well recovered. The 100m test is used to analyse the maximum speed possible, whilst the 500m time is used to plan the race pace for the 2,000m test. The table below sets out the target pace per 500m based on the 500m test time. We have no information available on how the 100m test result impacts on race strategy.
| French Rowing Federation 2,000m Race Strategy (based on 500m Test) | |||||
| 500m test | 1st 500m (92%) | 2nd 500m (88%) | 3rd 500m (88%) | 4th 500m (91%) | Predicted 2,000m |
| 1:15 | 1:21.5 | 1:25.2 | 1:25.2 | 1:22.4 | 5:34.4 |
| 1:16 | 1:22.6 | 1:26.4 | 1:26.4 | 1:23.5 | 5:38.9 |
| 1:17 | 1:23.7 | 1:27.5 | 1:27.5 | 1:24.6 | 5:43.3 |
| 1:18 | 1:24.8 | 1:28.6 | 1:28.6 | 1:25.7 | 5:47.8 |
| 1:19 | 1:25.9 | 1:29.8 | 1:29.8 | 1:26.8 | 5:52.3 |
| 1:20 | 1:27.0 | 1:30.9 | 1:30.9 | 1:27.8 | 5:56.7 |
| 1:21 | 1:28.0 | 1:32.1 | 1:32.1 | 1:29.0 | 6:01.2 |
| 1:22 | 1:29.1 | 1:33.2 | 1:33.2 | 1:30.1 | 6:05.6 |
| 1:23 | 1:30.2 | 1:34.3 | 1:34.3 | 1:31.2 | 6:10.1 |
| 1:24 | 1:31.3 | 1:35.5 | 1:35.5 | 1:32.3 | 6:14.6 |
| 1:25 | 1:32.4 | 1:36.6 | 1:36.6 | 1:33.4 | 6:19.0 |
| 1:26 | 1:33.5 | 1:37.7 | 1:37.7 | 1:34.5 | 6:23.5 |
| 1:27 | 1:34.6 | 1:38.9 | 1:38.9 | 1:35.6 | 6:27.9 |
| 1:28 | 1:35.7 | 1:40.0 | 1:40.0 | 1:36.7 | 6:32.4 |
| 1:29 | 1:36.7 | 1:41.1 | 1:41.1 | 1:37.8 | 6:36.9 |
| 1:30 | 1:37.8 | 1:42.3 | 1:42.3 | 1:38.9 | 6:41.3 |
| 1:31 | 1:38.9 | 1:43.4 | 1:43.4 | 1:40.0 | 6:45.8 |
| 1:32 | 1:40.0 | 1:44.6 | 1:44.6 | 1:41.1 | 6:50.2 |
| 1:33 | 1:41.1 | 1:45.7 | 1:45.7 | 1:42.2 | 6:54.7 |
| 1:34 | 1:42.2 | 1:46.8 | 1:46.8 | 1:43.3 | 6:59.1 |
| 1:35 | 1:43.3 | 1:48.0 | 1:48.0 | 1:44.4 | 7:03.6 |
| 1:36 | 1:44.4 | 1:49.1 | 1:49.1 | 1:45.5 | 7:05.1 |
| 1:37 | 1:45.4 | 1:50.2 | 1:50.2 | 1:46.6 | 7:12.5 |
| 1:38 | 1:46.5 | 1:51.4 | 1:51.4 | 1:47.7 | 7:17.0 |
| 1:39 | 1:47.6 | 1:52.5 | 1:52.5 | 1:48.8 | 7:21.4 |
| 1:40 | 1:48.7 | 1:53.7 | 1:53.7 | 1:49.9 | 7:25.9 |
| 1:41 | 1:49.8 | 1:54.8 | 1:54.8 | 1:51.0 | 7:30.4 |
| 1:42 | 1:50.9 | 1:55.9 | 1:55.9 | 1:52.1 | 7:34.8 |
| 1:43 | 1:52.0 | 1:57.1 | 1:57.1 | 1:53.2 | 7:39.3 |
| 1:44 | 1:53.0 | 1:58.2 | 1:58.2 | 1:54.3 | 7:43.7 |
| 1:45 | 1:54.1 | 1:59.3 | 1:59.3 | 1:55.4 | 7:48.2 |
| 1:46 | 1:55.2 | 2:00.5 | 2:00.5 | 1:56.5 | 7:52.7 |
| 1:47 | 1:56.3 | 2:01.6 | 2:01.6 | 1:57.6 | 7:57.1 |
| 1:48 | 1:57.4 | 2:02.7 | 2:02.7 | 1:58.7 | 8:01.6 |
| 1:49 | 1:58.5 | 2:03.9 | 2:03.9 | 1:59.8 | 8:06.0 |
| 1:50 | 1:59.6 | 2:05.0 | 2:05.0 | 2:00.9 | 8:10.5 |
| 1:51 | 2:00.7 | 2:06.2 | 2:06.2 | 2:02.0 | 8:14.9 |
| 1:52 | 2:01.7 | 2:07.3 | 2:07.3 | 2:03.1 | 8:19.4 |
| 1:53 | 2:02.8 | 2:08.4 | 2:08.4 | 2:04.2 | 8:23.9 |
| 1:54 | 2:03.9 | 2:09.6 | 2:09.6 | 2:05.3 | 8:28.3 |
| 1:55 | 2:05.0 | 2:10.7 | 2:10.7 | 2:06.4 | 8:32.8 |
| 1:56 | 2:06.1 | 2:11.8 | 2:11.8 | 2:07.5 | 8:37.2 |
| 1:57 | 2:07.2 | 2:13.0 | 2:13.0 | 2:08.6 | 8:41.7 |
| 1:58 | 2:08.3 | 2:14.1 | 2:14.1 | 2:09.7 | 8:46.2 |
| 1:59 | 2:09.4 | 2:15.2 | 2:15.2 | 2:10.8 | 8:50.6 |
| 2:00 | 2:10.4 | 2:16.4 | 2:16.4 | 2:11.9 | 8:55.1 |
| 2:01 | 2:11.5 | 2:17.5 | 2:17.5 | 2:13.0 | 8:59.5 |
| 2:02 | 2:12.6 | 2:18.7 | 2:18.7 | 2:14.1 | 9:04.0 |
| 2:03 | 2:13.7 | 2:19.8 | 2:19.8 | 2:15.2 | 9:08.5 |
| 2:04 | 2:14.8 | 2:20.9 | 2:20.9 | 2:16.3 | 9:12.9 |
| 2:05 | 2:15.9 | 2:22.1 | 2:22.1 | 2:17.4 | 9:17.4 |
| 2:06 | 2:17.0 | 2:23.2 | 2:23.2 | 2:18.5 | 9:21.8 |
| 2:07 | 2:18.0 | 2:24.3 | 2:24.3 | 2:19.6 | 9:26.3 |
| 2:08 | 2:19.1 | 2:25.5 | 2:25.5 | 2:20.7 | 9:30.8 |
| 2:09 | 2:20.2 | 2:26.6 | 2:26.6 | 2:21.8 | 9:35.2 |
| 2:10 | 2:21.3 | 2:27.7 | 2:27.7 | 2:22.9 | 9:39.7 |
| 2:11 | 2:22.4 | 2:28.9 | 2:28.9 | 2:24.0 | 9:44.1 |
| 2:12 | 2:23.5 | 2:30.0 | 2:30.0 | 2:25.1 | 9:48.6 |
| 2:13 | 2:24.6 | 2:31.2 | 2:31.2 | 2:26.2 | 9:53.0 |
| 2:14 | 2:25.7 | 2:32.3 | 2:32.3 | 2:27.3 | 9:57.5 |
| 2:15 | 2:26.7 | 2:33.4 | 2:33.4 | 2:28.4 | 10:02.0 |
| 2:16 | 2:27.8 | 2:34.6 | 2:34.6 | 2:29.5 | 10:06.4 |
| 2:17 | 2:28.9 | 2:35.7 | 2:35.7 | 2:30.6 | 10:10.9 |
| 2:18 | 2:30.0 | 2:36.8 | 2:36.8 | 2:31.7 | 10:15.3 |
| 2:19 | 2:31.1 | 2:38.0 | 2:38.0 | 2:32.8 | 10:19.8 |
| 2:20 | 2:32.2 | 2:39.1 | 2:39.1 | 2:33.9 | 10:24.3 |
