Purpose：This study aimed to clarify whether the 30 km pace running could improve the race pace and the finish net time of male runner in the summer Hokkaido marathon. Methods：For three months before the race, the personal characteristics and training variables of male runners participating in the Hokkaido marathon 2017 were collected by questionnaire. The data and race results were compared between runners who had experience with 30 km pace running （Exp） and those who did not have experience （No-Exp） in all runners （n = 299） or in runners divided into quartiles according to the marathon season’s best （SB） times （SB 1^st, 2:29:00-3:32:00; SB 2^nd, 3:34:00–3:58:00; SB 3^rd, 3:59:00-4:25:00, and SB 4^th, 4:28:00-6:00:00）. Results：Among all runners, the pace during the last half of the race and the finish net time were faster among the Exp runners than with the No-Exp runners. In the SB 1^st quartile, the Exp runners ran at a faster race pace, had a faster finish net time, and had a smaller delay from the SB compared to the NoExp runners. In the SB 4^th quartile, the Exp runners maintained a faster race pace in the last 30 km of the race, and showed a smaller delay from the target time than the No-Exp runners, though there was no change in the finish net time. The season’s best placement, years of running experience, body mass index, and mean monthly running distance made no difference among the runners in the SB 1^st and 4^th quartiles. Moreover, there was no difference in the race results between the Exp and No-Exp runners in the SB 2^nd and 3^rd quartiles. Conclusion：Results indicate that the 30 km pace running has the potential to improve race pace and finish net time for runners in the Hokkaido marathon. In particular, the 30 km pace running could enhance endurance performance, thus resulting in a faster finish time for runners with a higher running aptitude, and may produce a finer-tuned sense of pace, although the finish time remained unchanged for runners with a lower running aptitude.

Abstract Purpose：This study aimed to determine strategies for high-intensity training before races in middle- and long-distance runners in Japan. Methods：A questionnaire was used to survey 233 middle- and long-distance runners, which consisted of 63 junior high school students, 78 high school students, 58 university students, and 33 runners from company teams. The frequency, date, intensity, and distance of high-intensity training in the tapering period were investigated in these runners. Result：This study showed that 98.4% of middle- and long-distance runners performed high-intensity training in the tapering period. In addition, 61.6% of middle- and long-distance runners performed highintensity training 1 day before a race. Furthermore, 63.8% of subjects chose a 1000 m running distance for high-intensity training during the tapering period. Of the runners performing high-intensity training during the tapering period, 70.3% were training at a faster pace than their race pace. Moreover, it was clear that many runners in the junior high school age group performed high-intensity training before races; however, significantly fewer performed it 1 day before races compared to other age groups （ p < 0.01）. Conclusion：In 2021, many runners in Japan are still using the same strategy of high-intensity training before a race as that used in 1995. Furthermore, new insights were gained into high-intensity training strategies before races in the junior high school age group.