How are people able to close the last lap of a 1600 AT,NEAR, or FASTER than their 800m race pace?

If you aren’t running mile pace the first 3 laps you’ll have enough to close hard.

When I was in 4:15 shape and faster, if the first 3 laps were at 4:30 pace, I’d be fatigued, but still able to attack that last 400 like it was a 400m race.

tl;dr the first 3 laps weren’t hard enough to put a sting in their legs where they were not able to close hard.

First, you have to practice it. If you run intervals, run the last two at the pace you want to close in.

a) genetics b) training

Get better aerobically.

Probably their 800 PR isn't their true ability or it was a very tactical race (states?)

I closed in a 56 (hand timed but I believe it) in a mid 10s dual 3200. Nobody wanted to be the proverbial rabbit so it was a jog-fest until the last lap.

Omgosh, I would've loved to see this.

It looked like nobody was trying until the last lap. I was running more than a minute off my PR and two of the other team were close to a minute off theirs; they closed in around a 59-60. We did have a far larger pack than normal though (we both had a few low 10s athletes who were running but didn't want to lead) until the last 600 and especially the last 400. They were our rival school so it was enjoyable to win in front of their fans though.

If that had happened again, I'd just have asked a good runner on our team but without a shot at winning to serve as the proverbial rabbit - it wouldn't have had to be too aggressive, but something like an even 4:40-4:45 would have allowed me to grind the pace down lap by lap over the latter half without leaving anything up to chance.

Actually, I think it was more of a 57 low than a 56, but the point still stands. I think I finished about 20m ahead of them so that's about 3 seconds, so that lines up with them doing a 59-60. I think I could have closed in a 54 but that'd have been close to my limit (probably close to my 600m pace). I know Farah closed a jogged 5k (2015 worlds - they split 3k in 8:47) in a 2:19 so it should be possible to run a short distance at 2/3rds the time of what I could run for the full one (2:19 1000 and 3:28 1500 PR for Farah).

I ended up slowing down over the last 100m and the last 50m - both by looking back every couple of seconds and since I had no reason to push anymore - but I still closed very well. If I recall correctly, the first lap was a 72 but we settled into the mid 80s and stayed there immediately after. Coaches knew it wasn't going to be a PR attempt, but they were telling us to pick it up after we split 800 around 2:35-2:40 and 1600 around 5:30 just so it wouldn't come down to a final 200 where anything could happen.

O.P., how we finish races, 200m to Marathon is a combination of five factors:

1) Lifelong training & exercise which gives us 60m to 200m sprinting speed;

2) Recent training;

3) How much is in the tank or basically who is the least fatigued;

4) Running & sprinting form;

5) Kickers mentality.

* No 400m athlete ever comes on here saying: I sprint from 100m to 200m sub-10.5, why can I only run 12.xx or 13.xx from 300m to 400m?

See #3

* Craig Virgin knows #1 and maybe #3 were the answer, 1979 World Cup, 10000m. Miruts Yifter TT 48.xx 400m in Olympic Village, 1972 Olympics.

* Years ago, Timothy Cheruiyot was called out by one of his countrymen. One of Timothy Cheruiyot's countrymen said T C was not strong from 1450m to 1500m of 1500m races.

See #4. When I see T C over the final 100m, I say to myself: Are you going to sprint the final 100m with that awful running form?

Possibly see #5. Some 800m athletes are so mentally used to positive splitting 800m races, some 800m runners do not have the mentality for increasing the pace over final 100m.

I had this exact conversation with my 800m guy last year. We watched two kids close a 3200 in 57 seconds both went 9:10, but neither could touch 1:54 for 800. It’s kind of interesting how it works out.