?
?
no
Why not?
Oh...you mean to *compete*...well, no, not really.
UNLESS that individual was previously untrained and was able to run 20min for 5k off nothing but native talent. Then there might be a small chance.
I'll take the bait. You ask: Can an 18 year old male that can barely break 20 mins in the 5k ever make it to the Olympic marathon trials?
Um, ever ? Why you said ever?
Lets put it this way: Currently you are 18 and can barely break 4:00 per kilometer (that is a 20:00 5k) Imagine yourself covering the 5k in 16:28. Then imagine you doing that CONSISTENTLY for 42.2 kilometers. Can you swing it? Sounds hard? Do you see yourself EVER doing that?
It's a simple exercise so you can answer the question yourself.
What's the standard for the trials? (I'm not from the US)
How much training it took to "barely break 20min"?
No. But I am guessing that you will provide a name of somebody who did it. That doesn't change the fact that nobody else can do it.
I suppose if they are overweight and have little running experience.
Tyler Andrews?
Didn’t take running super seriously in hs and was around 18:30-19, so maybe not 20, but he went a long way to run 2:15-2:16 later.
Yes. Tyler Andrews only ran 20:30 before his senior year, and then only 18:30 his senior year.
https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/02/hoka-trials-marathon-tyler-andrews/
It's definitely possible. From personal experience, I broke the 18-minute barrier for the first time age 19. Then broke the 17 and 16 minute barriers 10 months apart when I started training more seriously at age 21. I'm now a sub-2:30 marathon guy, so admittedly I'm not at olympic trial standard of 2:19, but still only early 20's, so I'm fairly confident that I will at least come close to this standard. (Though I'm not American).
Just give him a pair of Alphaflys and put him on the CIM course.
Only one way to find out
By trains, planes and automobiles.
There was another dude at the Trials who I know about (Tyler Underwood, ig: tunderface), who ran 4:2X in his first marathon when he was in his early 20s. And he qualified by running 2:18 at CIM.
There are probably several others. If you put in the necessary training over 8-10 years, are extremely dedicated, and have the right coaching, I'm sure most U.S. men could run around 2:19.
HOWEVER, 99.9% will not, or do not achieve this, because they lack the requisite drive, get injured, or life takes over.
What is this 18 year olds height and weight? How long has he or she been training? 18 is so young and you essentially have 20 years to train to make the trials!! Nothing is impossible in this day and age.. with the right mindset/health precautions/ recovery/ injury prevention you can do it ?
LakeShowJoe wrote:
What is this 18 year olds height and weight? How long has he or she been training? 18 is so young and you essentially have 20 years to train to make the trials!! Nothing is impossible in this day and age.. with the right mindset/health precautions/ recovery/ injury prevention you can do it ?
well said. I agree
zzzz wrote:
Yes. Tyler Andrews only ran 20:30 before his senior year, and then only 18:30 his senior year.
https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/02/hoka-trials-marathon-tyler-andrews/
Best answer here.
It's unlikely for the average person to be a movie star or professional athlete, but there's a small chance in the land of opportunity we call America. Even if you don't make it, you can train for the health benefits and the runner's high.
You're asking whether an 18-year old can improve from 6:30 pace for 5K to 5:20 for a marathon, and the answer is hell no.
If they are getting to sub 20 5k on little to no training then yes it’s possible.
I did it