We all know that someone's 5k time is the gold standard measure of someone's running ability. No need to question this. So what 5k time would all the world record holders over all distances have been able to run at the fitness level when they set their WR? Not with extra training. Not their "5k potential". Just their 5k level when they set their WR.
Everyone from Bolt to Kiptum. Flo-Jo to Chepngetich.
If we just include outdoor (road/track) running (not walking or field) events from 100m to marathon length that are official World Athletics World Record events, you want what the 5K times of the following athletes would be when they set their world record in their respective event (i.e: not what their actual current 5K PB is unless they are the 5K WR holder):
M:
Bolt (100m/200m)
Merritt (110m hurdles)
van Niekerk (400m)
Warholm (400m hurdles)
Rudisha (800m)
Ngeny (1000m)
El G (1500m/Mile)
Giles (Mile Road)
Ingebrigtsen (2000m/3000m)
Girma (3000m Steeplechase)
Chep (5000m/10000m) - we already know his time, 12:35.36.
Aregawi (5K Road/10K Road) - we also know his time, 12:49 on the roads which is certainly faster on the track.
Farah (One Hour Run)
Kejelcha (Half Marathon)
Kiptum (Marathon)
W:
Flo-Jo (100m/200m)
Amusan (100m hurdles)
Koch (400m)
SML (400m hurdles)
Kratochvílová (800m)
Masterkova (1000m)
Kipyegon (1500m/Mile)
Welteji (Mile Road)
Hull (2000m)
Junxia (3000m)
Chepkoech (3000m Steeplechase)
Tsegay (5000m) - we already know her time, 14:00.21.
Chebet (5K Road Wo, 10000m) - 14:13 on the roads, faster on track.
Ngetich (5K Road Mx en route to 10K Road Mx) - 14:13 split. If she split this in a 10K then she could certainly go faster in a road 5K or track 5000m.
Tirop (10K Road Wo)
Hassan (One Hour)
Gidey (Half Marathon Mx)
Jepchirchir (Half Marathon Wo/Marathon Wo)
Chepngetich (Marathon Mx)
You can technically get the fastest en-route split of any athlete whose race was longer than a 5K and that could be their "time", but I know you are referring to what their 5K time would be if they applied their WR fitness level in whatever their primary event was to the 5K only.
This is interesting but more so for sprinters. For distance runners, they would all be decent enough at 5k. Kiptum would have probably done in the ballpark of 13 flat and Chepngetich solidly in the 14s.
As for the sprinters, I think most sub 10 guys would be able to go under 22 minutes because you'd expect a certain amount of fitness. I don't think too many would break 20 though so that's the range. As Bolt is a 100/200 guy and with long legs, I might put him under 21 so 20:45, say. Flo-Jo maybe a couple of minutes slower so 22 high. For a 60/100 guy like Christian Coleman, we're looking at nearer 22 minutes.
This post was removed.
According to my McRun App:
Bolt would have run 12:27 at the same Olympics as his 100m WR
Sydney could run 13:35 tomorrow
Surely everyone on the list would be below 20? I’m below 20 and I run 40k a week, am 32 and never did athletics or sports in school
Mocazilla wrote:
Surely everyone on the list would be below 20? I’m below 20 and I run 40k a week, am 32 and never did athletics or sports in school
It doesn’t matter how easily you can run a 19 minute 5k. There are countless people who are better suited to running a 5k than any truly world class sprinter. I think it’s pretty unlikely that Bolt or Merritt could have broken 20:00 when they set their sprint records. It’s an entirely different activity.
Sprinteresting wrote:
This is interesting but more so for sprinters. For distance runners, they would all be decent enough at 5k. Kiptum would have probably done in the ballpark of 13 flat and Chepngetich solidly in the 14s.
As for the sprinters, I think most sub 10 guys would be able to go under 22 minutes because you'd expect a certain amount of fitness. I don't think too many would break 20 though so that's the range. As Bolt is a 100/200 guy and with long legs, I might put him under 21 so 20:45, say. Flo-Jo maybe a couple of minutes slower so 22 high. For a 60/100 guy like Christian Coleman, we're looking at nearer 22 minutes.
Spot on. Flojo indeed never broke 20 minutes in the 5k despite trying to do so.
What do you think WvN and Rudisha could run respectively?
two different sports wrote:
Spot on. Flojo indeed never broke 20 minutes in the 5k despite trying to do so.
What do you think WvN and Rudisha could run respectively?
There was a 400m runner local to me who would occasionally do a 5k parkrun and he could run about 18 minutes. Obviously he wasn't world class but solidly sub 50, though I'm not sure what his general training was. He may have done some distance stuff.
I think with the extra endurance 400m runners have combined with their speed means that going under 20 is much more realistic. I'll take a punt at 19:30 for van Niekerk as a 200/400 type rather than a 400+ runner. Some maybe be a lot quicker and break 18 or even 17.
I think top 800m runners will inevitably do enough distance stuff to become reasonable 5k runners so I'd expect Rudisha to break 14. Maybe 13 high.
For women I think it's muddied slightly by the particular WR holders and I think both Koch and Kratochilova were more sprint oriented for their distance. I think Koch would likely be between 20 and 21 minutes and Kratochilova around 18. But I think some of the 800/1500 types would be low 15s.
This is all guesswork though. And if you put a load of sub-10 100m runners in a 5k race, their times would likely vary wildly.