Altitude Pace Adjuster

Estimate how much slower to run a race above sea level. This is a pace estimate for runners who have not acclimatized: about 3% slower per 1,000 m above 914 m (3,000 ft).

A rule of thumb for race pace, not a VO2max figure. VO2max itself falls faster, about 6.3% per 1,000 m above 300 m in trained athletes (Wehrlin and Hallén, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2006), but race pace falls less than VO2max. Two or more weeks at altitude offsets part of this cost for acclimatized runners.