did he ever run a 5k, what do you all think his potential was in that event?
did he ever run a 5k, what do you all think his potential was in that event?
He ran a marathon once 2:30 but that wasn't in great shape he just did it for fun
"Sebastian Coe devoted his winter to weight-training three times a week, hill running and a session at his estimated 5km pace (13:20). He was able to run 7 X 800m well under 2:08s with 45 secs rest. His longest run was 10 miles at sub-6 mins/mile and shorter runs at 5½ mins/mile. He started each track season with an indoor race at 3km in under eight minutes."
i believe his offical PR is 14:05.
sorry, it's 14:06+
Personal Bests:
800 1:41.73 10 Jun 1981 1 Florence, ITA
400 46.87 14 Jul 1979 2 London (CP)
600 1:15.0 + 10 Jun 1981 1m Florence, ITA
1k 2:12.18 11 Jul 1981 1 Oslo, NOR
1500 3:29.77 7 Sep 1986 1 Rieti, ITA
1M 3:47.33 28 Aug 1981 1 Brussels, BEL
2k 4:58.84 5 Jun 1982 1 Bordeaux, FRA
3k 7:57.4 23 Apr 1980 1 London (CP)
5k 14:06.2 11 May 1980 1 Cudworth
Mar 2:56:20 1 Jan 1991
Indoor:
3k 7:54.32 i 8 Mar 1986 1 Cosford
He also ran some cross races for fun - the one in Italy where you run through barns and peoples houses etc. 12km.
I remember reading he ran 10 miles in 45 on occasion in training. The intensity was WAY up there. Extremely unorthodox at the time.
On Oct. 1 1978 Coe ran and won a 4 mile road race in Loughea Ireland. Coe's time was 17:54 beating Brenden Foster's course record of 18:05. In the race he beat such longer track stars of the time as Coghlan,McLeod, Kenyon and Spedding. I would suggest they weren't racing for fun. This coming at the end of a year that he was concentrating on the 800 and before putting in any serious winter mileage.
Source: The Coe-Ovett File; published by Athletics Weekly 1982, p.77
coe at the los angeles olympics 1984
aug 03 800m round 1 first - 1.45.71
aug 04 800m round 2 third - 1.46.75
aug 05 800m semi first - 1.45.51
aug 06 800m final second - 1.43.64
aug 09 1500m round 1 second - 3.45.30
aug 10 1500m semi third - 3.35.81
aug 11 1500m final first - 3.32.53
awesome
Seb did run cross country (10km) early on in his career and was English schools 3km champion as a under 17. His p.b for 5km was 14.06 which he set in his county champs. (A low key comp, probably equivalent to district champs in US.)
Potential over 5km was probably around 13.20.(Similar to Ovett & Cram)
I heard he ran a 48 minute 10 miler in training but not 45. Even in a race i doubt he could of gone that fast. Steady run pace was usually sub 5.20 pace.
Marathon p.b was 2.48 but that was not a serious attempt and a few years after he had 'officially' retired.
Formosan Joe wrote:
He also ran some cross races for fun - the one in Italy where you run through barns and peoples houses etc. 12km.
I remember reading he ran 10 miles in 45 on occasion in training. The intensity was WAY up there. Extremely unorthodox at the time.
hmmm, my guess is that he maybe once ran just slightly more than 9 miles in 45 minutes in training, but not 10.
Postman Pat wrote:
coe at the los angeles olympics 1984
aug 03 800m round 1 first - 1.45.71
aug 04 800m round 2 third - 1.46.75
aug 05 800m semi first - 1.45.51
aug 06 800m final second - 1.43.64
aug 09 1500m round 1 second - 3.45.30
aug 10 1500m semi third - 3.35.81
aug 11 1500m final first - 3.32.53
awesome
agreed. That is without any doubt the most awesome display of high level racing over a short time span EVER. Compare that to what roid-bunny Ramzi did last year 1.44.2 (with one less round) and 3.37 and it puts it into perspective.
It does actually state at the beginning of Chapter 4 in Coe's biography, "Born to Run", that in the winter of '78/'79 he "went for a 10 mile run with a couple of Yorkshire colleagues, Malcolm Prince and Andy Armitage. He covered ten miles in three quarters of an hour (the 10-mile world record of Jos Hermans of Holland is 45:57.2), an average of just over 4:30 to the mile, at the end of which he was sick."....
Of course, we don't know what the course was like, but the reference to Hermans' WR highlights the fact that it wasn't a flippant remark of someone who didn't appreciate how fast 10 miles in 45 mins was!
Whether or not it was exactly 10 miles, the point is that Coe's endurance ability was always woefully underestimated.
Coe had exceptional endurance capabilities, something which many don't realise or choose to ignore. Just because he had a 7:54 3000m that doesn't mean that was all he was capable of! He ran a handful of indoor 3000m on the appalling wooden track at Cosford as training runs.
The UK's eminent middle & long distance coach, Frank Horwill's comments about Coe's 5k ability at
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0059.htm
.
He states:
"But where did Coe get his amazing endurance from? The answer came to me in 1986 when I went to Battersea Park Track one Saturday morning with a 13:11 5K performer to do a session of 7 x 800 at 5K speed with 45secs rest. The rep times were fixed at 2mins.08secs because the 5K runner was returning to fitness after injury. Coe was on the track and came across and asked what we were doing and could he join in? I felt a little apprehensive that an acknowledged 800/1500m runner would not survive a 5K pace session with a short recovery. The 800s went like this: 2:08, 2:06, 2:04, 2:02, 2:00, 1:58 and 1:56! Coe led them all. Afterwards, he confessed that he did a 5K pace session at 13:20 speed each week. I ventured the opinion that he could run a good 5K anytime. He agreed, but said he didn't like the event! It is doubtful whether any 800m runner before or since could have completed such a session in such times.."
He goes on to say:
"Coe's VOmax has been measured at 82mls.kg.min., one of the highest ever recorded,..."
Coe also beat Coghlan (83 World Champion) and McCloud (10000m Olympic silver medalist) in a 4 Mile road race in Ireland at the end of '78, off a season running only 800m races! Both Coghlan & Mcloud had run 13.20 that season. Coe also won the famous Vigevano road race twice; 20:59 for 7.5km in 1980, some 38 seconds faster than Ovett was to record winning the same race the following year, & 1983, recording 18.28 for the 6.7km; (27:33 pace for 10,000m). He also had a background of X country running as a teenager and was English Schools 3000m champion at 16
As a matter of interest, the 13:11 runner Horwill alludes to is Tim Hutchings!
Also remember that when Coe was running and winning these over distance road races, he was also on the British 4x400m relay team, recording sub 46.0 on several occasions! Doesn't this fly in the face of the generally held perception, even from seasoned athletic enthusiasts, that Ovett was the more naturally gifted of the two and had a greater range?!! LOL
THERE WAS NO WAY COE RAN EVEN CLOSE TO 45 MINUTES FOR 10 MILES. I PUT HIM AT 48, AT BEST.
I watched a workout of Coe running 8x800m with 1.5 mins rest. He ran his first one in 1:56. (At this point you can probably speculate to what I was thinking, which was holy shit is he going to be running faster times than this the entire workout)
He proceeded to pound the 800s (on asphalt as well), going down to 1:50 on his last 3. I believe he avged. about 1:52 for all 8.
This is something I have probably never seen before, and I am sure only few could break this workout.
beep beep beep beep...8X800m with 90s rest FASTER THEN MILE RACE PACE? That is a decent workout at 5k pace! Either he vastly underachieved at all race distances, and was the greatest talent ever in the history of running (I actually agree with this last statement, but he didn't underachieve that much), or what workout is pure BS. Seeing as it was on asphalt, I am inclined to go with the latter statement.
Who would win over 10k between Seb & Teg?
What about...
Seb and Teg and Geb and Meb?
Didn't he run Comrades?
Southern 12-stage road relay @ Wimbledon (hilly course!!!)
All time top 20
Short Leg 3 miles 553 yards
1 Steve Harris Shaftesbury Harriers 14.48 1986
2= Steve Ovett Brighton & Hove 14.52 1980
2= Ian Stewart Invicta 14.52 1982
4 Dave Clarke Hercules Wimbledon 14.57 1981
5 Mark Rowland Phoenix 14.59 1991
6 Steve Crabb Borough of Enfield 15.03 1991
7 Seb Coe Haringey 15.07 1984
8 James Starling Southampton 15.08 1992
9 B Smith Thurrock 15.10 1974
10= John Gladwin Belgrave 15.13 1986
10= Peter Standing Brighton & Hove 15.13 1976
12= James Espir Shaftesbury Harriers 15.16 1981
12= Billy Dee Luton United 15.16 1990
14= Julian Goater Shaftesbury Harriers 15.17 1984
14= Colin Reitz Newham & Essex Beagles 15.17 1985
14= John Sherban Shaftesbury Harriers 15.17 1988
17 A Pettigrew Windsor, Slough & Eton 15.18 1984
18 Eamonn Martin Basildon 15.19 1985
19 Jon Wigley Invicta 15.21 1979
20 Bernie Ford Aldershot, Farnham & D 15.22 1981