4x400m relay splits and their conversion to 400m flat.

.5 to 1.0 is realistic

It's kind of a case to case basis. If they are clean hand-offs, then your lead-off guy is running a true 400m, and the other guys might be in that .5-1.0s range, but who knows. There are other variables too, like trying to catch someone who received the baton a few meters before you.

I think you just have to take them for what they are; relay splits. If anything, use them as a confidence booster for the athlete.

My coach figures about .7 seconds advantage come with the typical running start. This correlates with my best split and my open PR (.65 apart) as well as those of many of my teammates.

It also matters a lot as to how accurate your person taking spilts is. Some parents will come unglued when I tell them their kids' splits because their split was a lot faster than the one I recorded.

Every year I try to explain how to take accurate splits for the 4x400, and I often end up with blank stares.

How to take splits for your kids' 4x400 meter relay team(for you parents out there):

1) Gun goes off = Start watch on smoke, not sound of gun

2) 1st exchange to 2nd runner (lead-off runner's split)

a) 3 turn stagger: take split when baton crosses the 800m start line for that lane

b) 2 turn stagger: take split when baton crosses the finish line

3) 2nd exchange to 3rd runner (2nd runner's split): take split when baton crosses the finish line

4) 3rd exchange to anchor runner (3rd runner's split): take split when baton crosses the finish line

5) Anchor runner's split: when runner crosses the finish line

I love it when I get the parent of the lead-off runner (on the 3 turn stagger) telling their kid that they'd PR'd by almost 2 seconds when they've stopped their watch when their kid crosses the finish line.

Depends on how your coach/parent/friend is taking the split. If they take the split from handoff-to-handoff, your split means next-to-nothing and certainly can't be converted to an open time.

If splits are taken correctly (from the middle of the exchange zone), you can usually add about .7-1.0 seconds to get a realistic open time. Of course, there are some who rarely seem to run much faster in a split time than in their open time (Jeremy Wariner) and others who are relay monsters and can always run way faster in the 4x400 (Darold Williamson).

STL_Runner wrote:

Depends on how your coach/parent/friend is taking the split. If they take the split from handoff-to-handoff, your split means next-to-nothing and certainly can't be converted to an open time.

If splits are taken correctly (from the middle of the exchange zone), you can usually add about .7-1.0 seconds to get a realistic open time. Of course, there are some who rarely seem to run much faster in a split time than in their open time (Jeremy Wariner) and others who are relay monsters and can always run way faster in the 4x400 (Darold Williamson).

Darn right...Some people are completely different animals on relays. Back in college there were people who would beat me by almost a second in the open 400 and later in the same day I'd catch it 5 meters behind them on anchor leg in the mile relay and blow their doors off. Touch to tell whether you'd rather win the open 400 or anchor the winning mile relay. Hmmmmmmm...

middle distance wrote:

I was wondering if anyone had any idea about what constitutes a realistic conversion of 400m relay splits into their worth for an individual 400m. I've read some say between 0.5 and 1.0 secs!? But when I've seen some races the outgoing guy sometimes is practically standing still. Is there a standard rule of thumb?

The standard conversions used are the following:

Leg off leg add .3 seconds

Other relay legs add .7 seconds

Rational: Lead off gets slight advantage in recorded time due to second runner usually getting handoff prior to middle of zone, and going out faster than lead runner coming in. Other legs benefit from running start

Thanks to all the response posters!

Just one question, to STL_Runner, and please excuse if this sounds ignorant, but how come they still add 0.7 secs to split times if the athlete hands over in the middle of the exchange zone? Surely this is before the star/finish line, so the athlete going out is covering slightly more than 400m, albeit going through the 400m from finish line running. Surely if the split time starts in the middle of the exchange zone, then the final time is about spot on; if anything I would have thought they would have to take time off!?

It's because the runner has a moving start when he takes the baton at the middle of the zone. This makes a sizable advantage versus coming out of the blocks in the open 400m.

middle distance wrote:

Thanks to all the response posters!

Just one question, to STL_Runner, and please excuse if this sounds ignorant, but how come they still add 0.7 secs to split times if the athlete hands over in the middle of the exchange zone? Surely this is before the star/finish line, so the athlete going out is covering slightly more than 400m, albeit going through the 400m from finish line running. Surely if the split time starts in the middle of the exchange zone, then the final time is about spot on; if anything I would have thought they would have to take time off!?

The middle of an exchange zone is always exactly 400 mtrs from middle of previous exchange zone.

Conventional wisdom says .5/.7accounts for the advantage both a running start and free distance gained by passing forward affords.