What 800m times would you class as elite, amateur, novice, hack?

Speaker wrote:

It varies hugely with context.

If you're talking about someone who considers themself a professional MD runner then if they're not running under 1:50 they're really not very good.

If you're talking about a man on the street then honestly anything under 2:30 is really quite respectable.

It just takes a bit of a perspective shift because people don't compete in the same numbers on the track as on the road and the cross-section is huge.

When I was a junior I trained with a MD group and was "crap" because I struggled to get much under 2:10. Moved to the roads and started training more with road runners and could blow past them on 200m reps like it was nothing (and also clocked a sub 70 half). Same speed - just totally different perspective.

Yeah, Im talking about within proffesional md training groups. There is no point speculating about the general population, they aren't trying to make the olympics.

How good?? wrote:

I can garuntee you that i broad jump 3.12m. I did it properly at the track with proper measuring and everything. And 10 pull ups, please. Thas piss weak. I could do at least 20-30

You expect me to believe you've been in a broad-jump competition? They only do those in Norway anymore. You can't even do 5 pullups, and your 800 PR is 2:13. You can't spell, so you must be in middle or high school. I'm on to your little game.

If you've ever broken 2:09, prove it. Or you're a sub-hack by your own standards.

How good?? wrote:

I can garuntee you that i broad jump 3.12m. I did it properly at the track with proper measuring and everything. And 10 pull ups, please. Thas piss weak. I could do at least 20-30

go away, loser.

broad jump...lmao. How are your sack race and shuttle run times? How about your softball toss?

The problem I have with these times is that the don't mean much unless you are an 800m specialist.

I ran a 2:04 in high school. Never broke 2:07 in college.

But I ran a 4:10 (1500), 15:32, 31:48 instead. So I can't run a fast 800, but I can run 2 800's in 2:13 pace and 12 800's at 2:32 pace.

Statistics! wrote:

How good?? wrote:

I can garuntee you that i broad jump 3.12m. I did it properly at the track with proper measuring and everything. And 10 pull ups, please. Thas piss weak. I could do at least 20-30

You expect me to believe you've been in a broad-jump competition? They only do those in Norway anymore. You can't even do 5 pullups, and your 800 PR is 2:13. You can't spell, so you must be in middle or high school. I'm on to your little game.

If you've ever broken 2:09, prove it. Or you're a sub-hack by your own standards.

It wasn't a broad jump competition you burke. It was performance tests: 40m sprint, vertical jump, broad jump. Broad jump was done at the track into the pit 3.12. Standing vert 91cm, maximum vertical jump 107cm. I used to be a jumper but now do 200/400. uit 800 but used to do it.

1:40-1:42.99 World Best

1:43-1:45.99 Elite

1:46-1:48.99 National

1:49-1:52.99 Very Good

1:53-1:58.99 Good

1:59-2:04.99 Average

2:05+ Beginner

I guess I suck cause I ran a 2:07 in division 2a regionals but made it to states ran the same time and got second to last.

I ran 2;06 for 880yds HS indoor flat track but was a crappy sprinter taking a mandatory time trial not a crappy mid distance guy looking for approval.. A 2;06 qualified me to carry the equipment bag and take splits for the coach no need to pack my spikes for the meet I was not running.

I run an 800 in 3min, what does that make me?

I think a lot of LR posters are the kind of people who don't really see the big picture and tend to hate their own PR's even if they are very fast. Most high school runners and runners in general will never get close to breaking 2 for 800 meters. In some states there may only be 10 guys who can do it. I think only 3 went sub 2 in Maine and 15 in Wyoming in 2015. Whereas in California, 355 boys ran sub 2 this year, 354 did it in 2014, and 358 in 2013. But even that number is probably less than 3-5% of the number of HS runners that race the 800 in the season in the state. Also, Cali has a higher density of athletic teens. So if you blow that up to a countrywide scale and worldwide scale, it becomes even smaller. I'll also say that the 800 requires some amount of speed that is more rare than a base level of aerobic ability. Anybody can be a hobby jogger, not anybody can be an 800 runner.

Long story short, there are more people in the world who can run fast 5K's than fast 800's because having the right fast and slow twitch muscles is rare. By comparison, sub 2 is extremely fast, even in High school.

There should be no attempt to call 1:59 "average" in any way.

Hopefully this is comprehensive enough

1:40-1:43 World Best/Champion Level

1:42-1:44 World Championship/ Olympic Finalist

1:44-1:47 US Elite/ NCAA D1 Champion

1:46-1:49 NCAA D1 Elite/ Nationals Qualifier

1:49-1:51 NCAA D1 Average/ D2 Elite

1:52-1:54 HS National Elite/ D1 Recruit/ Junior College Elite

1:54-1:58 HS State Elite/ D1 Walk-On/ D2 Recruit/ D3 Elite

1:58-2:02 HS County/League Elite/ D3 or NAIA "Recruit"

2:03-2:06 HS Above Average

2:07-2:15 HS Average

2:15-Up HS Below Average

Your headline does not indicate whether your question is about men or women (or both). In this day and age of emancipation, we should have a

a list of equivalent female times.

1:54-1:58 WB

1:58-2:00 WC

2:00-2:02 E

2:02-2:05 G

2:05-2:09 A

2:09-2:15 B

>2:15 H

You're mixing words that have to do with experience level (amateur, novice, beginner, etc.) with words that have to do with proven ability (elite, good, etc.). That doesn't make a lot of sense because experienced runners aren't necessarily faster, and inexperienced runners aren't necessarily slower.

In simple terms:

An NCAA all-American is about the same as National Class. This is an athlete who qualifies for USATFs, but likely will not make the finals. This is usually a 1:46/47 type athlete.

Elite is generally an NCAA star and/or good enough to get signed to a pro contract, is capable of making the USATF finals, capable of running the European B circuit and fill a lane at DL meets from time to time. This is usually a solid 1:45 type athlete.

World class is a full time pro athlete, capable of making global championship teams and race of the DL circuit. This is usually a solid sub-1:45 type athlete.

All of the other categories are too situational to put into a class. A H.S. kid who runs 2 flat and wins the small private school division is a much a state champ as the kid who runs 1:50.

Your chart is dumb and way off, but I need to get this off my chest: I ran 2:01 as a frosh in high school a long time ago. Easily a school record for freshmen still. Despite reminding my coach and the current coach about it from time to time, never got credit for the record and am still a bit bitter about it. Went on to bigger and better things (1:56, 4:16) but still ... There, now I feel as petty as you.

For a "man on the street" I think 2:30 is not only "quite respectable," it would be downright rare unless the street happened to be by a track, running path, or maybe soccer field. You could pass by 100 people downtown on your lunch break and the number of people who could do it might be 1 or 0.

Go up to 2:50 or 3:00 and it's a more interesting bet whether some random but fit-looking person could do it.

In an introductory class on quantitative methods this chart of the 800m time distribution was presented, it gave me a good laugh at the time considering the mean is around 1:50. It is made up, however, it might be more accurate for 400m

http://docdro.id/13zty

http://docdro.id/13zty

How can you have a range of ten second, 1 49 and 1 59 are poles apart1:59 - 1:49 = Elite

fgfh wrote:

subfive wrote:

1:43 - World champion class

1:47 - 1:44 = WC

1:53 - 1:48 = National class

1:59 - 1:49 = Elite

2:00 - 2:05 = Very Good

2:06 - 2:16 = Good

2:17 - novice

Not at all.

If we are talking about adult males that consider themselves 800m runners, then 1:59 is very average.

Here in the UK low league amateur club runners would run 1:59/2:00 regularly.

That said, I will amend my original post slightly:

1:40-1:42.49 Worlds Best

1:42.5-1:44.99 Elite

1:45-1:47.49 National

1:47.5-1:49.99 Very Good

1:50-1:54.99 Good

1:55-1:59.99 Decent

2:00-2:04.99 Average

2:05+ Beginner

+infinity