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Comment by Paddywack | Hacker News Reader

Years ago Johannesburg put in an Olympic bid. Because of the high altitude (1753m) they had issues affecting a number of disciplines when it came to records due to the thinner air...

If I recall correctly: - Javeline would go further (less air resistance) - High cardio events would go slower (less oxygen for athletes)

That would have been a "slow pool" factor all things being equal!

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You might find it interesting to know that for track cycling the penalty due to lower oxygen uptake is less than the advantage due to less air resistance. In other words track cyclists, at least in some of the longer disciplines, will go faster at higher altitudes despite there being less air to breathe.

That's actually super cool. I ran cross country through high school and one year of college. I was fast. Very, very fast in Ohio.

We traveled to Colorado for an invitational.

I was so slow and so tired. 18 year old me didn't realize that air changes. Idiot.

I also realized that if those guys ever came to the Midwest, they would absolutely dominate.

Yeah. I’m an aged mountain biker. Very mediocre. But when I travel to low altitude, I feel like Superman when I ride.

I live at 5000 ft now, but in my 30s I lived and slept at 9000 but did all my rides near 5000. That was an amazing time for my fitness. I could go hard at “low” altitude but recover at high which is what my body adapted for.

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