Could Jakob Ingebrigtsen complete 20x400 at 1 minute rest at mile pace?

Probably not. But probably he could do about 12.

I'm pretty sure the Ingebrigtsen's do 10x300m reps @ 1500m pace as a staple workout heading into the track season (I'm not sure if they still do, definitely did in the past). It would be 100m slow jog rest, so maybe just under a minute recovery. Maybe they did more than 10, I don't know. The closest workout to what you are asking is this one (Mo Katir):

which is in sets of 5, 4 minute break between sets, 90 seconds rest between reps. All around 1500m pace. I would guess Jakob can only do a session a little bit harder than this. 20 x 400m with 1 minute rest @1500m pace is definitely impossible.

Oh, and there is also this workout from Alan Webb which is quite similar, although he starts quite a bit slower than 1500m pace, and increases the rest through the workout.

highperformancewest.com

Workout of the Day — HIGH PERFORMANCE WEST

Jonathan J. Marcus

20 x 400m w. final 400m in 50.1 Splits: Set # 1 — 62.6 / 61.4 / 60.1 / 57.6 Set # 2 — 60.8 / 60.7 / 58.6 / 58.9 Set # 3 — 59.4 / 58.7 / 58.0 / 57.1 Set # 4 — 57.9 / 57.2 / 57.4 / 56.6 Set # 5 — 57.0 / 56.5 / 55.6 / 50.1 Alan...

Open link

Nobody can do that. Not at true mile pace. It would have to be at a fake mile pace because the runner has so far not run a mile race at his or her actual ability.

JP: In your book you're telling about one specific workout which piqued my interest. 400 meter intervals. Jakob felt good and went hard. It says he ran between 52 and 56 seconds per lap. When was this session, and what happened?
GI:It was after Gateshead. Between Gateshead and Florence. I'm not exactly sure, but I have it on my computer. It was serious stuff.
JP: So what happened there? Usually we hear that you run with strict intensity control like we talked about earlier, and then he says he feels good and ask for permission to go faster?
GI:It was a hard session that was supposed to go between 55.5s and 57.5s.
JP: How many laps are we talking about?
GI: A good amount. (sic: Gjert becomes elusive at this point). 15 laps. 20 laps.
JP: With 30 seconds of rest?
GI:No. A little more than that. But it's done in sets. 5 laps per set with a 3 minute break in between. It went so fast that I just had to step on the sideline and say "this is a hard session so just go as hard as you want". But there's a rule that says the last interval must be the fastest. The average speed of any set shall always be faster than the former. The same for intervals. If an interval is slower than any of the former, you have to stop. That's our mantra. There has to be an unambiguous form of progression in the session. That's a damage control mechanism. And when you run the first lap on 55.7s, you've set the bar pretty high when you have 15-20 to go. The last one was in 52.2s or something.

I did 3x4x400 with 1min and 3min between sets with Noah Ngeny about 6.5 weeks before he ran 3:43.40 (Mile) and he averaged 56.1 (mile pace was 55.53) on the Stanford track in 1999. He was going pretty hard and I can't imagine he could have squeezed too much more out of himself. All recoveries we just under 1 min as they tended to start running as soon as you said '5 sec to go'!

PS I say I did, but....I averaged 58 high for the first 2 sets and paced the first 200 for each rep of his last set as I was F**Ked

The question was not: Could Noah Ngeny do 20 x 400m with one minute recovery at one mile race pace. Noah Ngeny, the 1000m world record holder was a different type of athlete than J Ingebrigtsen. Noah Ngeny, if a young man today, would have a speed reserve advantage over J I. Faster athletes can outperform in workouts. Eight-hundred meter athletes can and do complete (6 to 7) x 800m at 3000m race pace at a superior rate than they can race 3000m. Four-hundred meter athletes can do (6 to 10) x 400m at a superior rate to their their 800m &/or 1500m ability. From watching N Ngeny race, he seems like he was a high 46.xx to low 47.xx 400m man. I doubt J I can sprint f.a.t. sub-49 400m. The lack of speed reserve would catch up to J I. J I, cannot do it.

It was still an interesting anecdote that is relevant to the discussion, no need to be so dismissive

Usually he does 400s in 64 seconds with 30 seconds of rest. Train don't strain.

So you would rather the whole discussion be in vague hypotheticals instead of actual coach stepping in and sharing his experience with an elite athlete?

This is LRC, where everyone think they know better than world class coaches.

This could be a challenge like the Prefontaine 30/40 workout to see how many you could go.

Do it at your own mile pace.

I'm gonna say 15laps and the vast majority @55 secs.

GI was probably trying to psych out Potato Tim or another rival by embellishing the workout.

Years ago in college we used to do something called the two man ten mile relay. Two guys running twenty 440's each the rest in between each was how long it took your partner to complete his next 440. Basically, you run a lap hand off the baton to your partner who hands it back when he finishes his 440.

Was just going to mention this! I remember that J. Ryun, in his first year at KU, and his partner averaged 61.7 per 440 (about 61.3/400m) for this.

Realistically this exercise was probably somewhat easier for Ryun because during his high school years he had probably run 20 (or more) x 440 about a hundred times. Literally.

And yes, I'm fully aware that 61.7 was not JR's mile pace at that point in his career--59 would have been closer--but I suppose 61.7 might have actually represented the best mile pace he could have produced then in the fall.

The level/ability/drive or all of these of world class "freaks of nature" is always impressive. JR averages 58.high and Ngeny was nearly a sceond faster. Highlights the over-riding need to pick your parents VERY carefully!

BTW, speaking of STANFORD, the STANFORD INV is THIS FRI and SAT - 3/31, 4/1.

The results of these used to be published in T&FN "back in the day..."

My college team did something close to this on spring break at the Citadel track, but it was 16x400 relay with one partner, less than 70 seconds rest. I think I averaged 68s and would have had a shot at sub-4:30 for the mile if I had been entered in a track meet soon after. Instead, I got a stress fracture from running 91 miles that week, a huge jump for me, and had to take a good deal of time off, though I still managed a then pr of 4:22 1500 after three weeks off. I was often able to run 400 repeats faster than mile pace.

I remember reading years ago that Rupp and Farah supposedly ran 20 x 400 in 58 with a 200m jog in between. Salazar always liked his athletes to jog slow on recoveries, so probably more like 1:30 to 1:45 rest. But that's the closest I've heard of to anyone actually doing that. And 20 x 400 at mile pace with 60 seconds rest is impossible, so no Jakob can't do it.

I second this.

I've trained with many world class athletes and know how many trained and NO ONE ran 20 x 400 at mile pace with 1' rest. And there were real studs... Lagat for example.

A very good (and extremely hard) effort might be 20 x 400 at roughly 3k pace.

Mile pace I'd feel like they are on PEDs for sure.