Okay, now that college runners are running around the low 44 in the 400.
this is an argument that I and teammates have had the past two years.
what are the odds that the 400m WR will be brought down to a sub 40, is it even humanly possible to run 400 in sub 40?
Humanly possible? Yes, if a world class runner runs a all out 400 downhill.
It'll be a reeeeaaalllly long time. Humans today wouldn't be able to do it, but if humans keep getting bigger and stronger then it'll probably happen. Maybe in 500 years? If people are actually on Earth anymore when that time comes around. It's also very possible that as time goes on and human's lives get easier and easier, we may become weaker and world best times will start to get slower. Best bet is if track athletes always only have kids with other track athletes for multiple generations.
I will say what I've been saying for decades. The 400m WR is currently the softest WR in T&F. It should easily be 41 mid if they had more efficient strides and a better training program with a focus on max interval lifting. Going sub 40 would be tough and take a total overhaul of the current methodology in 400m training and a new generation of runners, but I believe it could be done given someone with the proper genetic potential. What I am saying is that right now, if Michael Norman/that kid from Haiti/clayton murphy decided to actually work on their form, they could all go sub 43 easy, and maybe one of them (likely Norman) has the talent to go sub 42. But right now no one is good enough for sub 40. Some day it will (or at least SHOULD) happen
Eventually wrote:
It'll be a reeeeaaalllly long time. Humans today wouldn't be able to do it, but if humans keep getting bigger and stronger then it'll probably happen. Maybe in 500 years? If people are actually on Earth anymore when that time comes around. It's also very possible that as time goes on and human's lives get easier and easier, we may become weaker and world best times will start to get slower. Best bet is if track athletes always only have kids with other track athletes for multiple generations.
With the GMO humans that china is producing that 500 year number will be more like 50 years. If not 25 years.
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