Was Centro's 50.X the fastest 1500 last lap of ALL TIME?

Pretty sure Makhloufi closed faster in the exact same race.

Jim Ryun in that one German race?

Hold your horses. This might be it.

There was some German indoor champs 1500 where a guy closed the last 2 laps in 49.x…granted I think the winning time was around 4 minutes

I’ve done a couple searches on the boards here about the mythical sub 50 last lap and this race usually comes up. I’ve linked the only video I could find of it below but I’ve never been able to find a consensus on the split. Some have said it’s sub 50, some 50 low, and it seems to be thrown off by how fast Jim goes by the others. In all my searching, I have never found a confirmed split of sub 50 for any multi lap race but would love to see one. Surely there must be some 800 or elite 1500 that needed a 49 high to win, right?

Ryun in Düsseldorf:

Always in awe of his acceleration. You see the Germans surge and then he just two steps them like they're not even moving. What a great athlete

From an old thread. Possibly updated somewhere?

50.8 Ovett 1980 Oly 27.2, 27.4, 26.5, 24.3 (54.6/50.8) 1:45.4

51.2 Coe 1980 Olympics 27.3, 27.4, 26.7, 24.5 (54.7/51.2)

53.0….Coe….1984 Olympics 3:32.53

49.9… Cram … 87 Euro 3:45.5

51.5....Morceli....1991 WC 3:32.85
50.7....Cacho......1992 Olympics 3:40.12

50.6....Morceli....1993 WC 25.2, 50.6, 1:49.0, in a 3:34.24 race
51.3....Morceli....1995 WC 25.9, 51.28, 1:49.0 3:33.73
53.6....Morceli....1996 Olympics
51.5....ElGuerrouj.1997 WC

53.9....ElGuerrouj.2003 WC
51.9....ElGuerrouj.2004 Olympics (12.7,12.9,12.9,13.4) (but Silva had 51.3)
54.1....Ramzi......2005 WC (but Kaouch had 53.1)

5000

53.9….Aouita….Oslo 85 13:00.4WR

52.8….Aouita….1987 WC 13:26.3

52.2…Morcelli….1994 Zurich 13:03.85

53.4…. Kipchoge…2003 WC 12:52.79
53.5…. El Guerrouj…2003 WC 12:52.83
53.6…. Bekele…2003 WC 12:53.12

2007 13:45.87 - 52.3 (Bernard Lagat)
2005 13:32.55 - 54.2 (Benjamin Limo)
2004 13:14.39 - 52.6 (Hicham El Guerrouj)
2003 12:52.79 - 53.4 (Eliud Kipchoge)
2001 13:00.77 - ???? (Richard Limo)
2000 13:35.49 - ???? (Million Wolde)
1999 12:58.13 - 56.0 (Salah Hissou)
1997 13:07.38 - ???? (Daniel Komen)
1996 13:07.96 - 54.9 (Venuste Niyongabo)
1995 13:16.77 - 56.6 (Ismael Kirui)
1993 13:02.75 - 60.0 (Ismael Kirui)
1992 13:12.52 - 56.1 (Dieter Baumann)
1991 13:14.45 - ???? (Yobes Ondieki)
1988 13:11.70 - 60.3 (John Ngugi)
1987 13:26.44 - 53.2 (Said Aouita)
1984 13:05.59 - 55.0 (Said Aouita)
1983 13:28.53 - 57.3 (Eamonn Coghlan)
1980 13:21.0h - 54.9 (Miruts Yifter)
1976 13:24.8h - 55.4 (Lasse Viren)
1972 13:26.4h - ???? (Lasse Viren)
1968 14:05.0h - 54.8 (Mohamed Gammoudi)

10000

53.9….Bayessa…1992 Oslo 27:15

2003 WC 5000
53.4 Kipchoge 12:52.79
53.5 El Guerrouj 12:52.83
53.6 Bekele 12:53.12

2004 Oly 5000
52.6 Bekele (2nd) 13:14

2004 Oly 10000
52.9 Bekele

Sebastian Coe Ecup79 200 in 24.1 for 1:46.3
Tom McKean, Nixon Kiprotich and Jens-Peter Herold in the 1989 World Cup
200 in 24.9 for 1:44.94/1:45.03/1:45.09

At 1500

Said Aouita Grosseto 84 300 in 36 for 3:34.81
Sebastian Coe OG 84 400 in 53.0 for 3:32.53
Steve Cram and Jose-Luis Gonzalez in the 1987 European Cup
400 in 49.9 for 3:45.5
Abdi Bile, Sebastian Coe and Jens-Peter Herold in the 1989 World Cup
300 in 37.7/37.8 for 3:35.57/3:35.7
Nourredine Morceli WC91 400 in 51.4 for 3:32.85
Nourredine Morceli WC93 400 in 50.6 for 3:34.23

Cacho's was 50.5 or 50.2?(3:40.12),

Aouita 51.7 (3:29.71),

Ryun 50.6 (3:38.2),

El G 53.1(3:26.00)

At 5000

Juha Vaatainen 1971 Euros in 52.8 for 13:32.5
Said Aouita Oslo 85 400 in 53.9 for 13:00.40WR (pursued by Maree)
Said Aouita WC 87 400 in 52.8 for 13:26.3
Dieter Baumann OG 92 200 in 24.9 for a 13:12.5.

Nourredin Morceli Zurich 17.8.94
400 in 51.93 for 13:03.xx

At 10000

Juha Vaatainen EC 71 400 in 53.8 for 27:52.7
Fita Bayesa Oslo 92 400 in 53.9 for 27:15 (Chelimo 54.8 same race

I think you’re talking about Robert Farken last year. He split a crazy 23.63 from 1200-1400 but his last 400 was apparently just a 51.

Didn't Miruts Yifter/Ethiopia (Yifter the Shifter) once run the last lap of a 10k in 49+?

Recall people talking about that . . . but may just have been a rumor or unconfirmed time from a very slow race at altitude where everyone kicked at the end.

1000 to 1400 in 50.3

1100 to 1300 in 24.3

If he didn't let up in the last 100 it would have been an insane last 500

In my prime I could have closed faster… granted the first 1100 would have needed to have been a slow jog, but it still technically counts, right?

Well, Cram was beaten by Gonzalez who started that last lap a step behind him. (Check the video posted a few posts before yours.) Your lists are usually very good. But you missed the faster runner in that race. Oops.

He has those two further down the list. Both at 49.9. But, yes, Gonzalez did run faster than Cram on that lap. From LRC, 11 years ago, someone seems to have had access to a high quality video and freeze-framed it. He think Gonzalez ran 50.05, with Cram running slower by at least 0.2.

Have to say - that was a suspicious step up in class for Gonzalez at almost 30 years of age. Never demonstrated that ability before. Apparently Cram was psychologically damaged by that race and lost his confidence in his famous long kick. He even started training differently and tried to do more speed work which worsened his calf problems. He went into that race at the height of his powers and literally was never the same athlete again.

Does Webb hold the record for fastest 3rd lap split when he ran a 55.2 at the OT?

Eeets not my dog.

Thats not my data. It was the result of many contributors on a single thread.

Apocrypha.

Cacho?

Mo Farah had some good last lap splits, there was the European cup 5000m I think in Gateshead where he ran an unremarkable overall time with a crazy last 400m. Remember him coming to the line and leaning into the push off like it was the start of an interval session effort!