Could Lebron James Break 5 in the Mile?

Who is Lebron?

[quote]ukathleticscoach wrote:

Who is Lebron?[/quote

I guess I was wrong to think that the UK was still into monarchy. You don't know King James?

Lebron could do it. A good friend of mine was on the swim team in college. He specialized in the 50 free. He was 6'1" and 200 lbs. He had absolutely no background in running aside from football and basketball his freshman year of high school (7 years earlier). After swimming was over our senior year of college we began lifting together. One day he asked me what time I thought he could run for a mile. I really didn't have an answer so we just went to the indoor track the next day to see. We ran a 5:09 for 1600 m (no warm up). The only running prep he had was a 7 minute warm up mile prior to each lifting session. We had only done that for a few weeks. Most lean athletic people in their prime can run a solid mile.

Standard Bearer wrote:

Their open PB's are not much faster; they do run them occasionally.

I'm in the camp that says there is no way James is anywhere close to 5 minutes for a mile. It really comes down to specificity; he just doesn't ever have to run a mile without stopping and won't somehow be magically decent at it. If he were to run one today, I would be surprised if he broke 6.

Lebron played in 23 playoff games this past year. In 18 of those games he played 40+ minutes with a high of 50 against San Antonio in game 6 of the finals. In two of the non-40 minute games he played 39 minutes.

Do you realize how difficult it is to play NBA playoff basketball and put in 40+ minutes every game? There is a reason not everyone does it, they're not good enough and don't have the required endurance. You can honestly sit there and say that you would be surprised if he couldn't run a time most of us here ran in 6th grade, if not earlier? Come on man.

The University of Washington Basketball team under Lorenzo Romar runs a mile (I'm assuming 1600 meters) on the track before each season.

People have already brought up Spenser Hawes. Aziz N'Diaye, a Senegalese center at 7'2 270lbs was the fastest when he was at the UW, running 5:21 a few years ago.

Now, 5:21 for a 1600 meters isn't a sub 5 mile, but Aziz is very tall and LeBron is an elite athlete. I think there is a chance, but not a great one.

Look at all the phenomenal athletes in the decathalon struggling to run the 1500. Some body types just aren't suitable for fast distance running.

Yes it is

LeBron goes 6'8" and 260 something pounds. Although a very good athlete I think he is carrying just a bit too much meat on his bones to run sub 5.

Koppenberg wrote:

The University of Washington Basketball team under Lorenzo Romar runs a mile (I'm assuming 1600 meters) on the track before each season.

People have already brought up Spenser Hawes. Aziz N'Diaye, a Senegalese center at 7'2 270lbs was the fastest when he was at the UW, running 5:21 a few years ago.

Now, 5:21 for a 1600 meters isn't a sub 5 mile, but Aziz is very tall and LeBron is an elite athlete. I think there is a chance, but not a great one.

Look at all the phenomenal athletes in the decathalon struggling to run the 1500. Some body types just aren't suitable for fast distance running.

5:00 mile is not fast distance running. Hate to break that to you.

Google this and you'll find the Cleveland Cavs Time Trial. He broke five minutes, but it was on a bicycle!

King James wrote:

Yo guys, I thought I'd come here and settle the debate. I ran 4:57 in a preseason time trial before the 2005 season. I'll post the results.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2005 Annual Preseason Mile Time Trial

1. Donyell Marshall 4:54

2. LeBron James 4:57

3. Larry Hughes 5:03

4. Sasha Pavlovic 5:11

5. Damon Jones 5:13

6. Eric Snow 5:15

7. Zydrunas Ilgauskas 5:16

8. Anderson Varejao 5:26

9. Drew Gooden 5:45

10. Mike Brown 6:48

11. Ira Newble 7:54

Koppenberg wrote:

Look at all the phenomenal athletes in the decathalon struggling to run the 1500. Some body types just aren't suitable for fast distance running.

Most of the athletes in the decathlon are not phenomenal. And there is no body type unsuitable for distance running. Distance running has every body type represented.

Don't worry, I just contacted the Miami Heat. I expect to hear back from BronBron personally within the hour.

100m. 12.5

200m 25

400m. 56

800m. 2:20

1500m. 5:00

Mile 5:25

ttc wrote:

7-1, 250 lb Spencer Hawes ran 5:23. Majerle 4:36. (see my earlier posts). LeBron runs all day on court & bikes 20-40 miles before games to boot.

YEA LeBron breaks 5:00.

I wonder how many laps around the basketball court they decided a mile was?

Dream on fool.

Good point - he is an elite athlete. These guys are just competitors. I learned that when I saw Reese Hoffa gut out a 10:45 3000 steeplechase. He just thought 'there are HS girls who can run this time - I just know I can do it!'

Koppenberg wrote:

The University of Washington Basketball team under Lorenzo Romar runs a mile (I'm assuming 1600 meters) on the track before each season.

People have already brought up Spenser Hawes. Aziz N'Diaye, a Senegalese center at 7'2 270lbs was the fastest when he was at the UW, running 5:21 a few years ago.

Now, 5:21 for a 1600 meters isn't a sub 5 mile, but Aziz is very tall and LeBron is an elite athlete. I think there is a chance, but not a great one.

Look at all the phenomenal athletes in the decathalon struggling to run the 1500. Some body types just aren't suitable for fast distance running.

decathlon 1500 results are meaningless. The 1500 is done when they are emotionally spent. Why should Eaton or Obrien bust out a 4:20 1500 when they don't need to. If you were 30 seconds ahead of your nearest competitor would you kill yourself?

ttc wrote:

7-1, 250 lb Spencer Hawes ran 5:23. Majerle 4:36. (see my earlier posts). LeBron runs all day on court & bikes 20-40 miles before games to boot.

YEA LeBron breaks 5:00.

You been posting crazy NONSENSE about high altitude training in Lincoln, Nebraska and how much better Withrow is over Rupp for at least 10 years now.

Is it asking too much to spell "yeah" correctly?

coach wrote:

decathlon 1500 results are meaningless. The 1500 is done when they are emotionally spent. Why should Eaton or Obrien bust out a 4:20 1500 when they don't need to. If you were 30 seconds ahead of your nearest competitor would you kill yourself?

Wrong. The dec 1500 is serious and run hard by almost all decathletes. Maybe fresh they run a few seconds faster, but not substantially. You have never trained with highly tuned sprint/power athletes.

Lebron is actually NOT a highly tuned fast-twitch guy compared to a decathlete, he'd probably surprise many here in the 1500. I bet he'd run about a 6min mile. Maybe about 13 seconds in the 100. Speed is hard to assess because he NEVER exceeds maybe 5minute mile pace in a basketball game. Those courts are not long. 'sprinting' is like 6 quick strides from a dead stop.

Keep in mind that basketball is mainly about height >>> athleticism. Go play pickup in LA and you'll see many guys faster and quicker than king james. Not many are his size. would Yao Ming have been in the league with his 'athleticism' if he were 6-2? He wouldn't even be playing HS varsity...

[quote]Koppenberg wrote:

......and LeBron is an elite athlete.

I've seen other people write this.....it's an utterly meaningless statement!

You need to add "basketball" to that statement. He's an elite basketball player. There are countless "elite athletes" who can not run a sub 5 mile. Remember, all elite athletes are not pro basketball players. By definition you are an elite athlete ... in any pro sport, which depends on athletism.

I disagree with everything height subset typed, except I partially agree about the difference between decathletes and

A basketball court is over 20 meters long. There are Olympic sprinters who can travel from 10-20 meters at an average of more than 10 meters per second. That's over 22 miles per hour- and that's an average. They're going even faster than that for the last few meters. Now, I understand that basketball players don't generally want to run full speed out of bounds and into the bleachers, and they aren't olympic sprinters. Still, 5 minute mile pace is only 12 miles per hour. Give them more credit than that. The quicker players run 4 minute mile pace and beyond at peak speed during games, perhaps even approaching 3 minute pace (20) for a second in extreme cases.

Another thing about basketball players. They have not gotten taller in the past few decades. They've gotten heavier though. The sport demands a degree of coordination that not just any tall guy has. The taller you are the more difficult it's going to be agile, well balanced, ect. If Yao Ming were 6 2 with the same motor skills he would not move the same way. Again, I think you are really underestimating these athletes. Basketball is not a height competition.