{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T01:34:17Z","timestamp":1772156057155,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"The Royal Society","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,1]],"date-time":"2025-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1738368000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,1]],"date-time":"2025-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1738368000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["royalsocietypublishing.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["R. Soc. Open Sci."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In 2023, Faith Kipyegon set the female world record for running one mile (4:07.64). Here, we quantitatively explore if improved aerodynamic drafting could allow her to run just 3.19% faster and thus break the 4-minute mile barrier. Drafting involves other athletes (pacers) running in formation around a designated athlete to reduce the aerodynamic drag force acting on the designated runner. Drafting allows the designated athlete to run faster at the same rate of metabolic energy consumption. Our overall approach was to estimate Kipyegon\u2019s metabolic energy consumption during her mile world record performance. Then, we used empirically established relationships between horizontal resistive force, running velocity and metabolic power to estimate how much faster she could run at the same metabolic power if the aerodynamic force was reduced via drafting. Our calculations suggest that Kipyegon could run ~3:59.37 with drafting provided by one pacer in front and one in back who change out with two other pacers at 800 m.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1098\/rsos.241564","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]],"date-time":"2025-02-25T19:07:11Z","timestamp":1740510431000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Could a female athlete run a 4-minute mile with improved aerodynamic drafting?"],"prefix":"10.1098","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9169-5992","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Edson Soares","family":"da Silva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricit\u00e9, Universit\u00e9 Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne F-42023, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0524-0196","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Wouter","family":"Hoogkamer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Integrative Locomotion Lab, Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts, MA 01003-9258, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4628-3216","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Shalaya","family":"Kipp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic","place":["Rochester, MN 55902, USA"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2526-1608","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Rodger","family":"Kram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Integrative Physiology Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"175","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_8_2_2","volume-title":"First four minutes","author":"Bannister R","year":"1955","unstructured":"Bannister R. 1955 First four minutes. 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(doi:10.1098\/rspb.1928.0012)","journal-title":"Proc. R. Soc. B"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspa.2022.0836"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1113\/jphysiol.1971.sp009381"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1152\/jappl.1980.48.4.702"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.2023.1763"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_12_2","unstructured":"Beves C Ferguson S. 2017 Uncovering the aerodynamic trickery behind Nike\u2019s Breaking 2 project. See https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/uncovering-aerodynamic-trickery-behind-nikes-breaking-ferguson\/."},{"key":"e_1_3_8_13_2","unstructured":"Blocken B. 2019 Eliud Kipchoge just broke the marathon\u2019s two-hour barrier and KU Leuven Research helped him do it. See https:\/\/nieuws.kuleuven.be\/en\/content\/2019\/ku-leuven-and-tu-eindhoven-helped-to-break-the-marathons-two-hour-barrier."},{"key":"e_1_3_8_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbiomech.2020.109854"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbiomech.2021.110457"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14786447608639132"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archinte.1916.00080130010002"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1113\/jphysiol.1970.sp009097"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.18280\/mmep.090104"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1152\/japplphysiol.00086.2022"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.18280\/mmep.060117"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14763141.2021.2006295"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00421-024-05458-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-199519040-00004"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005768-200101000-00024"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02640410400021963"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_27_2","volume-title":"Exercise physiology: human bioenergetics and its applications","author":"Brooks G","year":"2005","unstructured":"Brooks G, Fahey T, Baldwin K. 2005 Exercise physiology: human bioenergetics and its applications. 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See https:\/\/monaco.diamondleague.com\/programme-resultats\/resultats-archives\/."},{"key":"e_1_3_8_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfluidstructs.2016.05.007"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1152\/japplphysiol.00159.2024"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1152\/jappl.1991.70.1.399"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_36_2","unstructured":"World Athletics. 2024 800 metres women. See https:\/\/worldathletics.org\/records\/toplists\/middlelong\/800-metres\/all\/women\/senior\/2023?regionType=world&timing=electronic&page=1&bestResultsOnly=true&maxResultsByCountry=all&eventId=10229512&ageCategory=senior."},{"key":"e_1_3_8_37_2","unstructured":"Franklin Field. 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