A Race Is Also a Thinking Task

Accessible explainer about pacing, cognition, sport performance and intellectual impairment.

RESEARCH EXPLAINED

A Race Is Also a Thinking Task

How the brain helps athletes manage their energy — and why this matters for athletes with intellectual impairments.

Back to Research Explained See the academic source

Infographic titled How the Brain Shapes Pacing in Sport, showing what pacing is, how thinking skills affect pacing, how the environment changes decisions, what research suggests about intellectual impairment, why this matters, and what comes next.

IN 30 SECONDS

Pacing is the way athletes spread their energy across a race, match or exercise task. It is not only physical: it also depends on planning, attention, working memory, self-control and flexibility. Research suggests that some athletes with intellectual impairments may find pacing more difficult, especially when feedback is limited or when the environment changes quickly. This matters because better coaching, clearer support and fairer competition systems all depend on understanding how the body and the brain work together in sport.

BASED ON

Original academic source

Sakalidis, K. E., Burns, J., Van Biesen, D., Dreegia, W., & Hettinga, F. J. (2021). The Impact of Cognitive Functions and Intellectual Impairment on Pacing and Performance in Sports. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 52, 101840.

Open DOI Publications page