RE: Can anyone hold their breathe for 400m?

Maybe down a hill.

If you are from Philly, you would know to ask William Reed.

And I'll toss it out for someone else to take advantage of ... Guiness World Record for longest distance run without taking a breath. Whoever figures out how do it in such a way that satisfies Guiness owes me a beer.

I can't decide what would be the best way to do this.

No way you could sprint it.

Maybe at like 6 min mile pace if you're capable of holding your breath for > 3 min you might have a chance.

Well, swimming 50m without breathing is pretty hard, and usually you multiply by 4 to go swimming->running, so 200m is probably the most a good runner can do. Maybe I'll try this tomorrow.

How do you hold a verb? Do you mean "breath"?

Maybe on a skateboard going downhill fast. It'd sort of be on foot.

Micheal Johnson wrote:

Ghola wrote:

Well, swimming 50m without breathing is pretty hard, and usually you multiply by 4 to go swimming->running, so 200m is probably the most a good runner can do. Maybe I'll try this tomorrow.

I could imagine doing 200m personally.

*Physcologically, sitting for 15 seconds feels like it takes a lot longer than running a 15 second 100m. Know what I mean?

It would be great if your could record your 200m attempt!

I could imagine doing a whole mile.

I really doubt it is possible.

Trying hold your breath and walking for 30 seconds. It actually burns a little in the legs. Sorta like the burn you get from sprinting.

I suspect that the aerobic requirements are far to high in this case.

Probably the easiest way to think about this is to consider the primary energy systems used with running a 400.

-If at a slow pace (>=6 minute miles) it is probably almost entirely aerobic. This will last for at least 90 seconds for a 400. Holding your breath for 90 seconds without running is likely taxing. Throw in the oxygen requirements of running and I suspect that running 400 meters without breathing at a slow pace is impossible.

http://ironman.memorialhermann.org/sports-science/how-body-uses-energy/

- Source for the sprint portion

- The ATP stored in muscles is only good for ~10 seconds. After the 10 second period secondary methods of energy must be used. Without oxygen glycolysis takes the anaerobic process of "fermentation" to generate energy. Anaerobic glycolysis, fermentation, decreases blood pH (makes it more acidic; "lactic acid"). So your ability to run in a purely anaerobic manner would be limited by your bodies ability to tolerate decreased pH (lactic acid buildup). In a purely theoretical sense the question is: can you run 400 meters before reaching that lactic threshold, as the oxygen should sustain your brain for the duration of the sprint?

In reality this is irrelevant though. Your body does not operate purely anaerobically (as it also never operates completely aerobically). If you take a large breath and then start to run as hard as you can your body will first use its ATP stores, then presumably attempt glycolysis. It will use both forms of glycolysis, aerobic and anaerobic. Your body does not know you are attempting this challege, so it will just do what it is programmed to. Your body WILL use the oxygen in your blood stream in the process of glycolysis. As your oxygen levels drop I highly suspect your body will be unable to provide sufficient quantities of oxygen to the brain. If the brain doesn't get enough oxygen you will stop.

Complete lack of oxygen form the brain is far different from holding your breath. Your blood maintains some level of oxygen if you are just sitting there holding your breath. If someone cuts the blood flow off from your brain for even a matter of seconds you will pass out (think of pressure on your neck - you've probably seen someone pass out by having their carotid artery pressured). The brain needs that much of a constant flow of oxygen.

I think ultimately this challenge is impossible because your body can not support the required oxygenation of blood necessary for brain function AND movement. Regardless of the pace oxygen is used by the body in glycolysis. This will significantly siphon oxygen such that you can not sustain the necessary oxygen flow to the brain for you to complete the challenge.

I coached a kid who did and he ran it in 48.xx. But he threw up every time he ran it.

I tried it and only made it 150m. I can hold my breath for almost two minutes sitting down. I'm not sure how much fitness matters, but my last couple of 5Ks were in the 15:50s.

There are deep sea divers who can hold their breath for more than 7 minutes. It only takes 5 minutes to walk a 400m.

So, yes. I am sure there are several people who have the specific training to do it. But they probably aren't track athletes.

Tom Sietas swam 200 meters while holding his breath. He is clearly an aerobic machine and has a great build for the marathon. It looks like a major talent slipped through the cracks with this one. Anyways, I would be surprised if he couldn't make it 600 meters.

50m swimming is not hard for any conditioned swimmer. I was a distance runner who swapped from swimming and was a lifeguard during the summers. In a short pool (25yds) I was able to get to 4 pool lengths after 3 years of trying. We use to have competitions. I got to the point that I would take on kid relays where I could only swim underwater. The first time I got 2, then 3, then 4 lengths was hard but after 2-3 times I could repeat it easily. The furthest swimming I went would be around 112ish yards. I tried running once but blacked out on the 2nd turn around 220m. Never tried it again.

Tom Cruz can hold his breath for 4 minutes

Thomas Cruise Mapother is as Latinx as Robert O'Rourke.

No Cruz.

No Beto.

No foolin'

I'm sure Michael Johnson was talking about this on the BBC once and how someone only took one breath in the 100m or 200m.

It's not really true, though.

For those who are tempted to try holding your breath for the 400m, make sure you are running on a soft track. When you black out and do a face plant, those old cinder tracks really mess you up.

There are two separate free diving records. One is distance under water and the other free diving record is time without breathing. Free diving world record for time without breathing is 24:37.36

O.P. 9 years ago gave no performance numbers. Could a person walk 400m for 4 or 5 minutes without breathing? That is more likely than sprinting 400m sub-50 seconds without breathing.

I would put money on swimmers over the age of 17 who have club swam since diapers to be able to walk 400m in 4 or 5 minutes without breathing. Swimmers are more likely to have significant oxygen stored in spleen than runners. Many swimmers from a young age swim either 1st or 2nd 25 yards of 50 yard freestyle without breathing.