he ran 49 in the 440 and 1:58 in the 880, as well as sprinting back and forth for an average of 47 minutes per game.
What could prime Wilt run for a mile on the track?
he ran 49 in the 440 and 1:58 in the 880, as well as sprinting back and forth for an average of 47 minutes per game.
What could prime Wilt run for a mile on the track?
5:18
4:47
1:58 880y (slightly longer than 800m) converts to like 4:21 no?
give him at least 4:40/mile, imo, as obv. speed oriented but sub 2:00 800m means he's also an endurance beast so...
I agree, close to this.
Around 4:50. He ran XC in high school and claimed he was the 6th man, so a mile would be a comfortable distance for him.
If there ever was an athlete who did not need to lie or exaggerate, it was Wilt Chamberlain. Yet he lied and exaggerated about everything. The XC thing is a mild claim, but all his claims, and all stories about him, should be taken with a grain of salt.
On the other hand, a true story that Wilt never talked about was that he played professional basketball while in high school under a fake name:
1:58 was as a highschooler, and Wilt’s peak was in 1961, basketball is a very aerobic sports for someone like wilt, I think in 1961 he probably could’ve ran 4:30ish
Are there any photos of Wilt Chamberlain running cross country in high school?
I sure would like to see that.
As close as you might get is one of his stride. The second photo is from the same HS shoot.
I think he could have run a 4:40. While training for the decathlon, I could run a 5:10 mile, as I switched from boxing to the decathlon. I have little doubt that Chamberlain could have been an all time great in 8 of the ten events in the decathlon, 9 if he were able to adjust or alternate his legs in hurdle clearances. The problem would have been the pole vault. If Chamberlain trained to be a miler, maybe a 4:15 -- 4:25.
This is pretty right on. Statgangsta gives his mile as a 4:38 with a 49 and 1:58.
On fast break plays, he wouldn’t have gone past half court and a center doesn’t sprint on most plays, anyway.
ESPN did a special on him. He was said to eat up 1.75 times of ground per stride than the other competitors