The Late-Race Fade Nobody Talks About

Every distance runner and triathlete has felt the wheels slowly fall off late in a race. Late-race fatigue is multifactorial. Glycogen depletion, central fatigue, thermoregulation, dehydration, and neuromuscular fatigue across multiple muscle groups all play a role. But there's one specific component of the late-race fade that's grounded in solid biomechanics research, doesn't get the attention it deserves, and is one of the most trainable pieces of the puzzle.In this episode, Kate walks you through what happens to your calves and Achilles tendon over the course of a long race, why this complex is so central to running economy, and the specific evidence-based strength training approach that can offset the late-race cost. This won't fix everything that goes wrong in the final third of a marathon or ironman, but it will fix one meaningful piece of it.This episode is for runners and triathletes training for half marathon, marathon, 70.3, and Ironman distances who want to understand why their pace falls apart late in long races and what the research actually says about preventing it.In this episode:The deterioration of running economy and the concept of durability as the fourth determinant of endurance performanceHow the Achilles tendon works as a spring and why muscle-tendon decoupling mattersThe role of enthalpy efficiency in the soleus muscleWhat happens when the Achilles tendon loses stiffness mid-run (Fletcher and MacIntosh 2018)How calf fatigue redistributes propulsive work up the leg to the knee and hip (Sanno 2018, Nahan 2025)How female runners may experience this differently (Quan 2021)The Bohm 2021 protocol and the tendon strain threshold for adaptationPlyometric programming for running specificityThe complete lower-body strength picture for long-distance athletesCompanion episodes available for the role of the calf and Achilles complex in runners and triathletes specifically, plus an upcoming dedicated calf training programming episode.Key research referenced: Fletcher and MacIntosh 2018, Sanno et al. 2018, Nahan et al. 2025 (preprint), Bohm et al. 2021, Arampatzis et al. 2007, Quan et al. 2021, Melaro et al. 2021, Jones 2024.If this episode helped, please subscribe, leave a rating, and share it with a training partner. Your support is what keeps this kind of research-grounded content going.Kate Baldwin, PhDThe Distance DrPhysiotherapist, sports scientist, strength and conditioning coach