Kristina Groves of Canada competes in the women's 1500 metres race at the World Cup Speed Skating competition in Hamar, Norway. (Terje Bendiksby/AFP/Getty Images) Long-track Olympic races are skated in pairs on a 400-metre oval, with skaters moving in a counterclockwise direction. Pairs are chosen in a draw held by the referee. A separate draw is conducted for each race.
Skaters are grouped by performance, and the fastest skaters usually race first. A draw is also held to determine the starting lanes (inner or outer) and the starting order for each group. The skater who starts in the inner lane wears a white armband, and the outside skater wears a red armband.
Skaters race against the clock, and their times are then converted into points using a complex method of calculation known as the Sammelagt Point System.
These points represent the skater's time in a race, adjusted to 500m equivalency, and are calculated down to three figures past the decimal. For example, 46.37 seconds in a 500m race means 46.370 points. 1,000m skated in 1:28:33 means 44.165 Sammelagt points (88.33 seconds divided by 2). Times for the 1,500m are divided by three, 3,000m times are divided by six and so on.
An athlete's final result is the sum of his or her Sammelagt points. The overall winner is the skater with the lowest total number of points.
At the 2006 Olympics, athletes competed in the new team pursuit event. Men raced eight laps; women skated six. Two teams of three will face off at different ends of the rink. Skating in a line, one person will lead the team around the rink. The first team with all three members across the finish line win.
Rules
Skaters are allowed only one false start before they are disqualified.
Skaters must change lanes every lap, on the straight part of the track known as "the straight" so as to ensure that each skater covers the same distance. If the skaters arrive at this crossover point at the same time, the skater in the outside lane always has the right of way.
The skater's inside skate may cross the lane line as the skater enters a corner, provided that the gliding skate (the one bearing the skater's weight) remains outside the line.
Crouching, pushing, fighting to the finish
Canada's Denny Morrison skates the men's 1500 meters race at the 2009 Speed Skating World Cup in Berlin, Germany. Morrison placed third. (Markus Schreiber/Associated Press)Long-track skaters adopt a crouching position to maximize force and minimize wind resistance. Crouching also allows more of the leg to extend to the side during a push, meaning more time is spent applying force to the ice.
Skaters use long, powerful strokes to propel themselves along, and keep one arm behind their back to reduce wind resistance. On curves, racers will use a crossover step to counter centrifugal force, and swing their outside arm to conserve speed and keep from drifting to the outside. In all aspects of the race, the skater must master force of thrust, hip angle, arm swing and shoulder orientation.
Negotiating the curves on the oval is an important part of long-track racing. "We call it 'building the corner' because the corner is where you generally accelerate," says former World Cup champion Neal Marshall. "In the longer races, it's important to use that corner, to make sure your speed stays up, so you do a very subtle acceleration in each corner."
The ideal long-track skater will have immense physical strength, powerful thighs and buttocks, and tremendous aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Marshall, who skated in the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, adds that long track is "all about three things: strength, fitness and technique. Without one of those things, you're not going to be very successful."
Skin-suits and clap skates
In long-track speed skating, athletes wear a one-piece lycra "skin-suit" with thumb loops and a tight-fitting hood to minimize wind resistance. Aerodynamic rubber strips are sometimes placed on the legs and hood of the suit to maximize air flow. Most skaters also wear eye goggles to prevent their eyes from watering.
Athletes can choose from two types of long-track skates. The conventional skate consists of a blade permanently attached to a boot, while the newer clap-skates have a blade which detaches at the heel, allowing the full length of the blade to remain on the ice.
There is a spring-loaded hinge under the ball of the foot to snap (or "clap") the blade back into its original position.
Clap-skate advocates say that they increase speed, assist the skater in making a better push-off, and are especially useful at the end of a race when skaters are fatigued and tend to catch the fronts of conventional blades on the ice at the end of a stride. Most long-track skaters now use clap-skates.
Both clap-skate blades and conventional blades are 38 centimetres to 45cm in length, and about 1.25 millimetres thick. They are made of high-tempered carbon steel and have very little curve, or "rocker" compared to hockey or figure skates. This allows skaters to glide in long, straight lines.
Sharpening a pair of speed skates is time-consuming, as each blade must be hand-sharpened so that the edges are perfect 90-degree angles. This takes 15 to 20 minutes per pair, and most athletes sharpen their blades after every race.
Skate boots are made of high-quality leather and are fitted snugly to the skater's foot. Most of the boot is supple to allow for movement, but the heel is reinforced and rigid to ensure stability. Some skaters prefer to use a boot similar to a short-track boot with a molded fibreglass bottom, while others opt to wear bare feet inside their boots to get a better "feel" for the ice.
