Why do most world records fall in Salt Lake City instead of Berlin? Aerodynamics, altitude air and pacing decide speed skating races by seconds.
The honest answer first: at race pace, you're not primarily fighting the ice, you're fighting the air. Up to 85 percent of your energy at high speed goes into overcoming air resistance, with the rest split between ice friction and body mechanics. That's why speed skating's elite invests as much in aerodynamics as almost no other sport on blades.
That's exactly why athletes wear skin-tight suits and race in the lowest position their technique allows — every centimeter of a more upright posture noticeably costs speed. And that's exactly why most world records don't happen just anywhere, but at very specific places: Salt Lake City (roughly 1,425 meters above sea level) and Calgary (roughly 1,045 meters) together hold more current world records than any other track worldwide. Thinner altitude air means less drag — the same effort at the same power output produces more speed.
The altitude effect goes further still: lower air pressure lets fewer gas molecules dissolve into the water before it freezes. The result is a clearer, denser ice crystal structure with fewer air pockets — ice technicians call this "harder" ice, which produces less friction. Altitude ovals are therefore doubly advantaged: thinner air and better ice.
For you as a skater, that means: race tactics aren't just legwork, they're energy management over the entire distance. In shorter sprints, maximum initial acceleration counts; in the long distances, as even a pace as possible — starting too fast costs you more at the end than it gains you at the start.
Train Smart. Play Hard. — at the highest level that means: the last percent of performance comes not from more power, but from less resistance.
At race pace, up to 85 percent of your effort goes into overcoming air resistance. Every reduction in your frontal area — through a deeper crouch, a tighter suit, calmer arm carriage — affects your speed more directly than pure added strength.
Altitude ovals like Salt Lake City or Calgary offer thinner air and denser, "harder" ice with less friction. That explains why personal bests systematically fall more often there than on ovals near sea level.
Over 500 meters, pure initial acceleration counts. Over 10,000 meters, a near-constant pace over more than twelve minutes counts. Too aggressive a start on long distance almost always leads to an expensive collapse in the second half.
On long distances, it's often not the fastest starting pace that decides the race, but who still has reserves at the end. Train specifically to hold your pace through the final laps instead of only building it up there.
A well-fitted skinsuit isn't a side issue — it's as relevant to your final result as an extra percent of strength. Check fit and material regularly, especially before important races.
Holding the deep aero position over an entire long distance is an additional load factor for back and legs (see the injury guide). Train race tactics gradually through increasingly long race simulations, rather than executing them fully for the first time in an actual competition.
When training at altitude ovals: the thinner air also taxes your cardiovascular system more than usual. Plan a short acclimatization phase before training there at full race pace.
Analyze your own lap times after every longer race, not just the final time. An even lap-time profile across the whole distance is almost always a better indicator of good pacing than a single fast opening lap.
A trick from competitive sport: deliberately simulate the last three laps of a long race at the end of every hard training session, when you're already fatigued — that exact ability decides races that look close on paper.
Because at race pace, up to 85 percent of your energy goes into overcoming air resistance, not pure propulsion. Skinsuits and the deep crouch position reduce exactly that resistance.
Because both ovals sit at high altitude — thinner air means less drag, and lower air pressure produces denser, lower-friction ice. That combination systematically favors fast times.
Sprints thrive on maximum initial acceleration over a few seconds. Long distances, by contrast, need a near-constant pace over the entire distance — starting too fast almost always leads to a performance collapse at the end.
Yes. Because air resistance increases disproportionately at higher speed, a well-fitted suit measurably affects speed even below elite level — provided basic technique is already solid.
Speed Skating: Sprinter or Allrounder – Which Type Are You?