Racing a sprinter in the 800 - any advice?

And yes, I'll be sober during the race.

Actually he will probably go out too fast- just sit on him and slice and dice from 250 out. If he goes out slow, just blast from farther out.

A 49/400 sprinter is good for 1:58... at best. If he wins you did something wrong (like lead the first lap).

Go out in 55. This guy might well be with you with 200 to go but he won't be able to sprint.

think fast wrote:

Actually he will probably go out too fast- just sit on him and slice and dice from 250 out. If he goes out slow, just blast from farther out.

A 49/400 sprinter is good for 1:58... at best. If he wins you did something wrong (like lead the first lap).

This is a recipe to lose.

He's a 400m guy, he can handle a hard 250. What he (likely) can't do is come back after a hard lap and do it again. Take control early, make it a fast first lap, and use your superior strength to survive the second lap faster then he can. I would lead, and go out as fast as you can with him keeping contact. Make it a strength race (think pre), not a kicker's race.

Ensure the pace is good and hard on the first lap, then surge from 450 meters to 600 meters. He will not be mentally prepared to push that part of the race and you will gap him.

Make the first lap fast and get him to follow you. He will feel really bad by 600m if the pace is fast.

It doesn't really matter if he's with you with 200 to go, that's totally different than running a 200 fresh.

300 wrote:

It doesn't really matter if he's with you with 200 to go, that's totally different than running a 200 fresh.

The voice of reason (to be fair, Sam made the same point)

Be sure to post the results.

I predict massive PBs for both of you

after agreeing to decide this feud in a Golden League event, you blast to the lead and hit 200 in 24.13, then together cruise through 400 in 49.62, then struggle to the 600 in 1:16.77. Surprisingly despite this brutal pace, at this point he unleashes his devastating sprinter kick, but you find a secret reserve of strength heretofore unknown and truly go to town on this clown, passing him with 150 to go and never looking back, for a result of

1.John Doe 1:42.35 WL AR

2.Jeff Slow 1:44.16

3. Abubaker Kaki Khamis 1:46.18

4. Wilson Kipketer 1:46.40

5. Yuriy Borzakovskiy 1:46.55

6. Johnny Gray 1:47.18

7. Joaquim Corvalho Cruz 1:48.98

8. Sebastian Coe 1:50.66

fake an injury and cancel the race

Well, to be honest I think the challenge is a bit unfair. There's no way a 200/400-sprinter @ 49-50s can run anywhere near 1:55, especially not in his first attempt.

I started out in the 400m myself. I tried my first 800 (off of 400m training) when I was at 51s in the 400, and I only managed 2:07 that time.

So basically, I think you will win no matter how you structure your race.

To make it a bit more interesting, why not make it a 600m race?

I agree. Going out in 55 sounds about right. He'll die.

Sam wrote:

Go out in 55. This guy might well be with you with 200 to go but he won't be able to sprint.

Run even pace - it will make you look like you're flying when he shits the bed at 500M.

Go out no faster than 57.5

Wolhuter wrote:

Run even pace - it will make you look like you're flying when he shits the bed at 500M.

Go out no faster than 57.5

I tend to agree. Unless you know that this guy can run a decent 800, 57 should do it. People suggesting taking it out in 54 are making a big assumption that the sprinter will go with whatever pace the distance guy sets. The sprinter knows that this guy isn't about to break 1:50. He'll watch the distance guy run off, and then he'll kick like hell while the distance runner dies.

If you go even pace, the sprinter will probably still die, but you won't. People who think that you need to get out at a crazy pace to break this guy might be overestimating the 800 ability of the average 200/400 guy. I raced one of our 400 guys in an 800 in high school. The kid was a 48 second guy, and I was a 2:10 800 runner, so he was a hell of a lot better than me. The 48 second guy finished the 800 in 2:15 and proceeded to puke. 400 to 800 is probably the most difficult jump to make from one event to the next longest event.

The best way for an endurance guy to beat a speed guy is not to go out hard from the gun, but to kick from a long way out a la el Guerrouj. Let him lead the first lap and kick with 300m to go.

I actually did this a few years ago in college. I was a 1500/5k guy but had run 1:52 in the 800. I was racing a guy who was a high 46 guy. What I learned after the race was that this guy was completely terrified of an 800. He didn't have any clue how to run it so he decided he would just go with me. I didn't know this at the time but I decided I would take it out hard and see what he could handle at the end. We went out in 54 and I was starting to hurt pretty bad but with 300 to go I decided I would try to push the pace a little. When I moved at 300 he completely gave up and I jogged the last 150. He was wasted at the finish and said that when I moved at 300 he thought I was fresh and he thought there was no way he could go with me. Overall I ran a 1:56 he ran a 2:06 after jogging the last 300.

Khell800 wrote:

Well, to be honest I think the challenge is a bit unfair. There's no way a 200/400-sprinter @ 49-50s can run anywhere near 1:55, especially not in his first attempt.

I started out in the 400m myself. I tried my first 800 (off of 400m training) when I was at 51s in the 400, and I only managed 2:07 that time.

So basically, I think you will win no matter how you structure your race.

To make it a bit more interesting, why not make it a 600m race?

I saw Shannel Porter, who was a 50-52 second 400m runner, run her first 800m race in around 2:07. Ran a smart race for being her first 800.

To the OP, I agree with most of the others. 57-60 for the first 400 and go from there.

have a friend call him no less than 10 times the night before, just to check in on him.