Altitude counts
Altitude is a position too. When following the tracks of the athletes in the air take a look at how high they are as well as how far along the track they are. An athlete at 2000m with 100km to go is in a far better position than an athlete at 1000m with 100km to go. The extra altitude gives them more time to search for thermals, and also means they can glide further from their position.