Anna Willard runs 50-flat for 400?

If she has the "capacity" to run 50 flat, then she also, as an endurance athlete (coming from the steeple),has the capability to run 1.50(55) and 3.45(60)since these are reasonable "differentials" for a mature middle-distance runner.

Kratochvilova was a sprinter (47.99 400m) dallying with the 800m - so had a differential of almost 9 seconds!! Very poor endurance capacity. Beyond the Semenya-like appearance of JK, and the rumours (from an eastern block country at that time - see Marita Koch et al) of doping. Jearl Miles-Clark ran 1.56xx off of a sub-50sec 400m, but again poor endurance "differential" (~9sec) as she too was coming from a sprint (400m) background. I recall, similarly, the Canadian Charmaine Crooks (1990?) stepping up to run 1.58 from a 50sec 400m as well. So this is typical of sprinters. But AWP has no known background of running fast 400s (to this level anyway) - but all of a sudden it is now coming out? The 54sec is likely, but training itself won't get her down that far (to 50) without also huge improvements in her 1500/800m as well, given her background.

In reminding me of Coe, known in early (HS) days as 1500/3000m guy, who ran 46.8 for 400m at his peak (in an open 400m race, not a relay - which has a faster 45xx split), he was also a physically immature guy (119lbs) until his Uni years and while 46.8 is good, it is by no means anywhere near world-class for the event (HS boys do that time), whereas 50-flat for a woman, and an endurance one at that (or why is she even doing the 1500m?), is a top-level time for a non-PED user female.

A rolling start?

If I gave any sub 4 1500m runner a rolling start they should be able to run a 50.XX

This is a stupid discussion, even if she was claiming to be one of the fastest people in the world, she is still 3-5 seconds off the real sprinters which is miles during a 400.

for sanity wrote:

She is PULLING A MAMMOTH. She is simply creating press with something that will NEVER happen.

good one! add it to urban dictionary so you can get the credit, unless of course it already exists and means something about sexual acts during the ice age.

She has been vegan, at least, since she went on the european circuit a couple of years back. She was buying bread from a man in Brussels. He was 6'4" and full of muscles. She asked him if he spoke her language. He just smiled and gave her a Vegemite sandwich.

She actually talked about running a couple of 400 races (from blocks) early in the season. I think Mahon had other plans (longer tempo runs, I believe following Lagat).

She has some serious wheels, but I doubt she is a threat to Allyson Felix or Sanya Richards.

DocLove wrote:

I thought things always came in threes.

Where is the third idiot?

The guy who responds to this post is the third idiot. Congratulations!

hgh and igf 1 or 2 transformation.

Well there are some high school guys that are running 50. and 1.58s but they are running like 4:15 for the 1500m. I also doubt many people running 54s in college run 50s a couple years later.

ventolin^3 wrote:

asdfadsfadsfadsfasdfasdf wrote:

if she could really run close to 50.x she'd have run under 1"57 by n0w

dummy

it woud be more like 1'54 & possibly 1'53

she woud be giving kratocks's wr an almighty fright

does she see herself as the future wr holder ???

well, that is predicated on 50s with concurrent 3'57/3'58

ana quirot with a 49.61pb but only 4'13pb ran 1'54.44

pierce, if she claims 50s & far better 1500 ability woud make mincemeat of 1'54.44

she'll try the steeple/5k when she's old and slow? WTF!!! does she think barringer is old and slow? that was one of the stupidest lines.

If that fat lardo Anna Willard can throw down a 50 flat, I can throw down a 40 flat.

o.O wrote:

A rolling start?

If I gave any sub 4 1500m runner a rolling start they should be able to run a 50.XX

Lol definitely false. Do you think burka can run 50-flat??? Barringer???? Hell I've run 3:52 and have only split 52.X.

stanslo wrote:

she'll try the steeple/5k when she's old and slow? WTF!!! does she think barringer is old and slow? that was one of the stupidest lines.

I agree. it seemed pretty clearly a shot at Barringer, like she wants to assert she opted out of those not because she was afraid of Jenny but because she's better at the shorter stuff. Which is probably true, except, when has Pierce beaten Jenny head to head in a 1500? Not in NY, or at Pre last year. and their PRs are basically even. Only distance Pierce is clearly better at is the 800.

I am a Willard fan, so I want rag on her too much; perhaps we took her comment out of context, sort of like when Allen Iverson said "WERE'RE TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE", obviously AI didn’t really mean you don’t have to practice. I am told Anna has a great sense of humor and perhaps she is just trying to get things stirred up and bust our chops a little bit. Perhaps the reporter caught her after having 2 beers, which is probably all it takes for such a small body or perhaps she has been out in the Monmouth sun too long and is becoming delusional.

If she had said a high 52, I would have had my doubts, but I would have said if she thinks so, perhaps she knows something we don't; people keep secrets all the time. However, based on everything I have seen, if Ann can run sub-54 (out of the blocks), that would be a secret to me and most observers. Excluding Jearl Miles who was a converted sprinter and some of the Eastern European freaks of nature from the 80s, Ana Quirot, Mutola and Jelimo have the best 400m speed and are only 52x 400m sprinters. Meredith Rainey was one the top 800m runners in the late 90s, she has a 1:56x 800 PR and won an NCAA 400 title, but was only a 51x 400m sprinter. Middle distance runners always overestimate their 400m speed until they actually run an open 400 and realize there a big difference between those with world-class God given raw speed, which is what’s required to run 50 point, versus a middle distance runner with good (52/53) 400m speed gained from efficiency and strength.

...Anna’s statement makes me like her even more; we need more athletes to step outside of the box and say kooky and outrageous things that give us something to talk about.

And I've only run 3:55 but I can still run a 47 rolling start.

Apparently the Johnson's don't believe it either as they've offered her $50,000 if she can do it.

http://www.letsrun.com/2010/weekthatwas0622.php

Add up the jackpot money Sanya has racked up in the last couple of years.

If Anna could do that (sub-50 out of blocks) she's in the wrong event and it would be worth a LOT more than $50000.

Haha

sj quik wrote:

for sanity wrote:

She is PULLING A MAMMOTH. She is simply creating press with something that will NEVER happen.

good one! add it to urban dictionary so you can get the credit, unless of course it already exists and means something about sexual acts during the ice age.

I like all the restrictions on the $50K. Including being paid $5k over 10 years. Why would anyone even try such a challenge when she can make that kind of money paid right now from a few circuit races? Even if capable, she would never bother to try. Thanks for the self fulfilling prophecy LRC. Weak!