The situation is as follows: at some point during the run you chase down or get chased down by someone in your AG (you know because you spot their age on their calf). At this point in the race you believe you are anywhere between 5th and 1st. Here you are, running side by side with this guy. you are feeling “ok” but you are not totally confident you are feeling better then you opponent.
what are some tactics that you can use to try and break this person you are now running with?
as a high school cross country runner i know a few. if he picked up the pace to get to you, and then just ran on your shoulder, it means that he spent himself getting to you. you then pick it up again and he should break.
surge
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What does “feel” have to do with it? You can either stay with him and drop him by the finish line or not. There’s no “feel”.
Are you saying there are no such thing as tactics or are you saying that the only tactic is to just do whatever and hope you win?
There are tactics, but “feel” shouldn’t be an issue.
run faster?
At a local Oly in June I was faced with this situation. I had chased down enough people on the run (read slow swim) that I figured I had to be somewhere close to top 5 in my AG. With about 1/2 mile left I caught up to another person in my AG and figured this was the past person I had a legitimate chance of passing. I had to make the decision then whether I was going to try to hammer the last 1/2 mile to see if I could drop him or hang back and try to out kick him. I opted for the hang back and try to out kick him strategy. I stayed about 2 yards back until about a 300 yards to go and then started to kick. Of course, when he realized I was kicking, he kicked too and I never made up the 2 yards. I wound up coming in 6th place in my AG and missing a podium spot by 2 seconds. I might not have the kick needed to execute that strategy, but I don’t know that I could have dropped him either because I was pretty spent. Maybe I should just learn to swim 2 seconds faster! 
Faced with a similar situation, I think I’ll try hammering through to the end and see what happens.
agreed. Feel is nothing. Capability is the issue.
Your tatics would be bassed on what your strengths are and what you think will beat the other racer. I have very good top end speed (10.9 100m) so I would let him set the pace and make a hard move at the end. I could also try and low the pace a bit by making all sorts of “pain” noises to make him think I was having a hard time.
A counter surge is good but it depends on where you are in the race, how far you have left adn what distance you’re racing. I like counters in longer races because the pace is slower and the work to catch you was probably a long process. Can really break someone if you do it right. this works way better in cycling and can really backfire in running races.
One of my favorite races ever was the World XC womens race, 2001 or something, where Paula kept pushing the pace adn with about 1 k to go she was flat out. Dibaba (i think) was right with her and was the only one left. She was sitting for the end and just didn’t realize how fast paula had lifted the pace. With 200 to go dibaba moved out to start her kick and there was just nothing there. It was amazing. She came along side paula and jsut couldn’t get past. Paula had literally run the kick right out of her. Her head dropped and it was over. Most amazing race I’ve ever seen.
Similiar experience this past summer. I got passed near the end of a race by someone in my AG. I knew we were sort of close to the finish, but had never done the race before so I didn’t know how close. I decided to surge and repass the passer. Bad move on my part:) He hung on my shoulder for a while and I was running all out now. Unfortuneately I had made my move too soon as I soon figured out. We were several hundred yards from the finish. When we finally rounded the corner and saw the finish line he kicked into high gear again and I was left with nothing in the tank. Turns out it was a battle for 1st and 2nd in our AG. Although I was happy at 2nd I learned alittle lesson. I should have hung in the shadows for a while where he couldn’t see me instead of repassing. Next time I will be more sneakier!
chris
If I am going balls out chasing someone down, and I catch them, I will run right behind them for a few mintues just to rest for a bit. If there is a curve/turn in the course, I will go back to balls out pace, and cut to the inside of my opponent. This worked for me this weekend. I got a gap and ran away with it.
Way too many variables - but depends a lot on where in the race this happens too! In the beginning? let him go. Towards the end (esp a long race)? He’s got you and ran you down. Run your race. In the middle and he is just hanging with you? Surge ahead for as long as you can, he will go too and hopeful crack. If you are a sprinter, you can rely on a final kick (but of course if you are a sprinter, you are not likely a good triathlete/runner anyway). If you are a fish just holding on for the run - think again. Cycle too hard that day? Think hard about what tactic you want to employ.
If they gain on you: At a minimum, always stay right on their heel or shoulder for as long as you can, even if you can’t stay with them for the duration. You might just find out you can, and that their passing you and then having you stick w/ them makes them crack.
Use them for motivation. That’s true about ANY calf that passes you, not just your own AG.
If you gain on them: Sit behind them briefly to regroup (but only if needed). Surge past them FAST, while breathing either very easily or not at all. The change of pace and the fact that to them, you didn’t seem to be working hard to blow by them, may very well put them in your 6 for the duration.
Have a look at the end of the ITU WC in Hamburg (men) yesterday. That’s what you want to do 
use your elbows, a solid hit should make him back off.
MTLRunner…for starters GET A REAL FRIGGIN AERO POSITION that you can actually ride in. When I lapped you this weekend, you were coasting on an a slight UPHILL grade…what the F^&K is that all about? I think you are watching too much ST and not doing enough real training. Get an aero position that you can ride in with your elbows duct taped to the pads and your ass on the nose and keep turning the pedals for 5 hours straight…coasting on a flat course is not even part of the vocabulary…coasting on uphill grades borders on inexcusable for a person with all the gear and aero position that you were sporting this weekend…yeah, it looks good, but the actual bike split tells the real tale.
…aside from that, once you get on the run my only comment is that you are either the hunter or the hunted. If you are the hunted, there is no hope…you just try to hang in the draft of your age group competition when they catch you. If you are the hunter, than as you close, you can notch back the intensity to 95% of your steady state pace for that distance, recover a bit, and just before closing ratchet up to 110% for a solid 50-100m and make sure he does not latch on…that’s about it.
Dev
If you are doing a two hour oly distance race with no drafting, intermittent surging on the run is going to definitely hurt your race. You will be running at your threshold. If you are passing someone, continue at your same speed and unless they are dogging it, they won’t be able to stay with you. In other words, improve your LT.
Focus on maintaining your effort when you crest hills, some people will take a “break” at the top without even realizing it. Right when you crest the top work on maintaining that effort level for another ten seconds, you can count in your head, it’s sometimes surprising how easy it is to gap someone just by doing this.