{"podcast":{"title":"The Real Science of Sport Podcast","slug":"the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514","podcast_index_feed_id":495514,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/f3fb5c75-b943-4f5d-bd87-27c91611dd24","website_url":"https://play.acast.com/s/realscienceofsport","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6100856531fd81f125b34dac/1764253945895-a1ed9fa9-2a2e-4594-8b95-1aba16461fd4.jpeg","author":"Mike Finch","episode_count":338,"summary":"World-renowned sports scientist Professor Ross Tucker and veteran sports journalist Mike Finch break down the myths, practices and controversies from the world of sport. From athletics to rugby, soccer, cycling and more, the two delve into the most recent research, unearth lessons from the pros and host exclusive interviews with some of the world's leading sporting experts. For those who love sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T08:19:01.121416+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514"},"episode":{"title":"England Survive Altitude and Mexico / The Doctor's Dilemma in Elite Sport - When Is Enough? / How Women Out \"Pace\" Men in Marathons","slug":"england-survive-altitude-and-mexico-the-doctor-s-dilemma-in-elite-sport-when-is-enough-how-women-out-pace-men-in-marathons","published_at":"2026-07-08T09:22:51+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514/england-survive-altitude-and-mexico-the-doctor-s-dilemma-in-elite-sport-when-is-enough-how-women-out-pace-men-in-marathons","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514","url":"https://shows.acast.com/realscienceofsport/episodes/englands-survive-altitude-and-mexico-the-doctor-dilemma-in-e","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/realscienceofsport/e/6a4e15c642872185cc26ddc3/media.mp3","summary":"Not a Supporter yet? For the price of a coffee a month you get ad-free shows, a weekly Applied Science show, access to our Discourse and Discord communities, and participation in our listener research studies — join the Real Science of Sport here. Show notes In this week's Spotlight, Ross and Gareth take on the news: (00:02:00) Football World Cup: England survived altitude and Mexico, and Ross's numbers explain how — less total running, fewer sprints, the game deliberately slowed down. It's a collective pacing strategy dictated by physiology, not just tactics. Plus VAR is amplifying the chaos rather than ending it (Argentina's late smash-and-grab over Egypt, a sensor in the ball denying Croatia), and six African teams knocked out in the dying minutes. (00:28:00) Tour de France: our first read on the opening stages, and why the new team time trial format, where the rider's individual time counted, added genuine tactical intrigue. (00:31:00) The story that troubled us most: riders starting stages very sick in 40°C heat. After De Lie and Uijtdebroeks pushed on while ill, we discuss the incentives in elite high performance sport that put team doctors is unenviable and often compromised positions, and whether, as with concussion in rugby, sports governing bodies should step in to alleviate the conflicts faced by medics? (00:39:00) The science of pre-cooling: why INEOS sat in a row with their forearms in cold water. Ross explains the AVAs, the skin's heat-dumping shortcut, and why the water mustn't be too cold or you shut the whole thing down. (00:53:00) Record watch: Josh Kerr's unusual race-free build-up and his 3:42 fixation, Keely Hodgkinson's choppy season, and Faith Kipyegon's first 1500m/mile defeat in five years. (00:58:00) A cracking paper spotted by listener Steve…","meta_description":"Not a Supporter yet? For the price of a coffee a month you get ad-free shows, a weekly Applied Science show, access to our Discourse and Discord communiti…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4712,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514/episodes/england-survive-altitude-and-mexico-the-doctor-s-dilemma-in-elite-sport-when-is-enough-how-women-out-pace-men-in-marathons/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514/england-survive-altitude-and-mexico-the-doctor-s-dilemma-in-elite-sport-when-is-enough-how-women-out-pace-men-in-marathons.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}