The worlds fastest ever 800m was ran in 1:40.9, and the worlds best run 1:41-1:44. Rudisha went out in 48 seconds for his world record. Youre already very talented if you can run that pace for 400m (a sprint) alone, and you won’t look out of place running 12 seconds in a 100m at a highschool track meet.
My training philosophy for an 800m runner has turned into “You want to become a sprinter with a good aerobic base” and I think that’s the best way to describe it. You could look up a 200m/400m training program, do the 3-4 weekly track sessions but with a 20 minute warmup and cooldown jog, and do 30-60 minute aerobic runs on your non track days and you wouldn’t be disappointed in how you run at 800m.
Simple question about what should be a simple event but one that often ends up with some wonky results. The old two lapper. Why is this event such an oddity among the major Olympic running distances?
I got thinking about this when thinking about the 800m Oceania record, which was held by Peter Snell, then tied by Ralph Doubell, thenl Joseph Deng broke it marginally and Bol/Deng have since lowered it just below 1:44. What struck me was how long these records from the 60s lasted and how little they've come down in countries that have no shortage of middle distance talent in both athletes and coaching. So what gives?
But it was more than that because there are other 800 oddities that crop up when I was looking over results. Marcello Fiasconaro also holds a 50 year old Italian record in this event and Seb Coe's world record from 1981 has only been bettered by two athletes. Then there's also Rudolf Harbig's monstrous 1:46 from 1939, which is an otherworldly run for the time and somehow would still have been an Olympic qualifier until the 2012 Olympics. Now, I know there are Beamon-esque performances in every event but there are so many marks in the 800 that stand the test of time despite advances in tracks, shoes, training, and everything else. Yet somehow a time run by Peter Snell on a grass track while training over 100 mpw is still a world class time over 60 years later. Equally weird, the first person to break this incredibly strong record after 10 years was a South African rugby player converted from the 400 and competing for Italy.
So I reiterate the title: why is the 800 so weird?
Simple question about what should be a simple event but one that often ends up with some wonky results. The old two lapper. Why is this event such an oddity among the major Olympic running distances?
I got thinking about this when thinking about the 800m Oceania record, which was held by Peter Snell, then tied by Ralph Doubell, thenl Joseph Deng broke it marginally and Bol/Deng have since lowered it just below 1:44. What struck me was how long these records from the 60s lasted and how little they've come down in countries that have no shortage of middle distance talent in both athletes and coaching. So what gives?
But it was more than that because there are other 800 oddities that crop up when I was looking over results. Marcello Fiasconaro also holds a 50 year old Italian record in this event and Seb Coe's world record from 1981 has only been bettered by two athletes. Then there's also Rudolf Harbig's monstrous 1:46 from 1939, which is an otherworldly run for the time and somehow would still have been an Olympic qualifier until the 2012 Olympics. Now, I know there are Beamon-esque performances in every event but there are so many marks in the 800 that stand the test of time despite advances in tracks, shoes, training, and everything else. Yet somehow a time run by Peter Snell on a grass track while training over 100 mpw is still a world class time over 60 years later. Equally weird, the first person to break this incredibly strong record after 10 years was a South African rugby player converted from the 400 and competing for Italy.
So I reiterate the title: why is the 800 so weird?
There was an article going around about a decade ago about this! I wish I could remember the name. The kid I coached who hold our school record sent it to me.
What i think is interesting about the 800m is the athletes that excel in it. Of course you can have a variety, its probably the moet diverse event in all of track and field. But if I was recruiting for the 800m, I'd be looking for guys who almost look a little wild. Like tall, lanky, even slightly uncoordinated looking. I feel like you have to be a little wild looking in your frame and aura to have great potential, or at least those types excel. Look at Joaquim Cruz, Rudisha, Ovett. I feel like the best 800m runner in the world might be some kid who tried out for the basketball team but is a little too awkward to make it, but has the limbs and height
The best two 800 runners on my college team were both extremely tall and lanky, and one of them was an absolute klutz and frequently dislocated his shoulder. Was fascinating to watch both of them run an 800, it was a thing of chaotic beauty.
What i think is interesting about the 800m is the athletes that excel in it. Of course you can have a variety, its probably the moet diverse event in all of track and field. But if I was recruiting for the 800m, I'd be looking for guys who almost look a little wild. Like tall, lanky, even slightly uncoordinated looking. I feel like you have to be a little wild looking in your frame and aura to have great potential, or at least those types excel. Look at Joaquim Cruz, Rudisha, Ovett. I feel like the best 800m runner in the world might be some kid who tried out for the basketball team but is a little too awkward to make it, but has the limbs and height
The best two 800 runners on my college team were both extremely tall and lanky, and one of them was an absolute klutz and frequently dislocated his shoulder. Was fascinating to watch both of them run an 800, it was a thing of chaotic beauty.
That’s interesting. Our 800m roster looked like 2 Symmonds/Mahkloufi types, a guy with an identical physique to Clayton Murphy, and ironically our pure 400/800 guy was the shortest and skinniest, looked like he should be a 5k XC type but ran a better 400m than he did 800m and could barely crack 30 in an 8k.
The best two 800 runners on my college team were both extremely tall and lanky, and one of them was an absolute klutz and frequently dislocated his shoulder. Was fascinating to watch both of them run an 800, it was a thing of chaotic beauty.
That’s interesting. Our 800m roster looked like 2 Symmonds/Mahkloufi types, a guy with an identical physique to Clayton Murphy, and ironically our pure 400/800 guy was the shortest and skinniest, looked like he should be a 5k XC type but ran a better 400m than he did 800m and could barely crack 30 in an 8k.
Bumping because I missed some good responses and interesting points. The build of runners in the 800 is also very interesting to me and seems more diverse than other running events. I struggle to think of another event where a runner like Nick Symmonds and a runner like Duane Solomon can be so close together at the top of the world. The same can be said about Wohlhuter and Juantorena in 1976. Most events at the highest level we see some level of conformity in body types but, off the top of my head, the 800 would seem to have the widest variety.