Is the 800m "dash" the weakest event in track?

3=4-59s';dgfl]w234i wrote:

I just have one thing to say, if you know anything about track and field, even for Wayde Van Niekerk, I guarantee you that a 51 does not feel like a jog.

Running one 400m roughly 17.5% to 20% slower than one's 400m PB does feel like a jog, even for 200/400 athletes. I am not making a prediction on his 800m ability; running one 51 second 400m would not hurt Niekerk. Have you ever done 400 repeats with 200/400 athletes?

3=4-59s';dgfl]w234i wrote:

I just have one thing to say, if you know anything about track and field, even for Wayde Van Niekerk, I guarantee you that a 51 does not feel like a jog.

By best 400m is 52.7. A single 400m at 59s is relatively easy. Little lactate buildup. For 800m training, I do consecutive 59s 400m after a 60s break, albeit with great effort and pain.

I'd bet my left nut that a man who runs 43.03 can run a 51s in flats with very little effort. Running 7-8 seconds off your 400m PB is not difficult. The problem for the body comes in doing two consecutive 51s, and that's what makes or breaks 800m runners.

Nonsense. Coe wasn't running 400m at 14 or 15. He has no listed performance over that distance for that age. At 14 he was the Yorkshire (biggest county in UK) colts XC champion and running 2:08 for 800 and 4:18 for 1500m He was not an early developer and was tiny. At 15 he came 10th in the English schools X- country, running against athletes who were a year older.

He wasn't running 400m.

I think his first international distance as a junior was the 3000m

ex-runner wrote:

I think his first international distance as a junior was the 3000m

First national title, English Schools at 16, was over 3000m, yes. First international competition was over 1500m at 18, when he won bronze, beating Abascal and Flynn amongst others.

SalmonRice wrote:

The 800m is the only event that is half-and-half for anaerobic and aerobic energy contribution.

That's not accurate...it's more in the realm of ~66% aerobic:

That's why these some of the 800 runners with great 400 speed who aren't willing, or can't do, the proper endurance based training have trouble with the last 200m...no surprises there.

Deanouk wrote:

ex-runner wrote:

I think his first international distance as a junior was the 3000m

First national title, English Schools at 16, was over 3000m, yes. First international competition was over 1500m at 18, when he won bronze, beating Abascal and Flynn amongst others.

And I think he also won a European indoors silver in the 3000m as a junior

Definitely not a 400m runner haha

Learn physiology.

Phantasy Star wrote:

Wayde would be lucky to break 1:48. You have no idea how any of this works.

Of course he would.

I was a 46 guy and ran 1:52 indoors not trying. He's way better than I ever was.

The real issue with guys going up in distance is that there aren't any one off meets. I suspect he could hang on after a hard 600 in run well under 1:47. But then he'd have to sit on a couch for the next 4 weeks.

Its why you never saw UB do the 400 seriously. 3 in a day at a big meet is hard yakka.

The old joke about 400 guys going up to 800 was that they could do it physically, but they hated the sound of the bell. (signifying one lap to go for those who missed it)

8/10 good job jamin