The Effects of Temperature, Pressure, and Humidity Variations on 100 Meter Sprint Performances

TL;DR

This study quantifies how variations in temperature, pressure, and humidity significantly affect 100-meter sprint times, highlighting the importance of accounting for atmospheric conditions beyond altitude and wind speed.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of atmospheric factors influencing sprint performance, extending beyond traditional altitude and wind considerations.

Findings

Air density variations due to temperature, pressure, and humidity significantly impact sprint times.

Performance corrections considering atmospheric conditions can be very large.

Equivalent performances can differ notably under different atmospheric conditions at the same venue.

Abstract

It is well known that ``equivalent'' sprint race times run with different accompanying wind speeds or at different altitudes are anything but equivalent races. The drag force acting on a sprinter is a function of air density and the relative wind speed, where the former has traditionally been calculated using the race venue's elevation above sea level. However, air density variation is dependent on more than just altitude. This work will quantify how changes in air temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity levels influence 100 m sprint performances. When these effects are considered in combination, the corrections to performances can be very large. The results suggest that a non-negligible difference in race times can be expected for ``equivalent'' performances run with the same wind speed at the same venue or physical altitude, but under different atmospheric conditions.