Predict: What can the average, healthy, untrained 25 year old run a ... in?

I can't believe so many people say something like 29 mins 10k or even 9:00 mile.

The OP said the hypothetical person plays sports like football, at a healthy weight, albeit "untrained" specifically for running. Any guy that active in his prime should have no trouble breaking 50 for 10k and 6:00 for mile.

I'd say you're the most accurate! The only 2 distances where I think there could be quite a range is the 100 and 200m. I've known quite a few totally untrained recreational athletes who have some good natural basic speed that could run a low 13 100m and a 27-28 200m. Beyond the 200m however you start needing speed endurance which you need to train for to run any kind of semi respectable time.

i ran 50.1 400m, 16:30 5k in HS

after a month of training at age 26 after 7+ years off i ran 63 and 20:50

average?

Did you continue to train the 400m when your were 26 and achieve better times or was it just a once off speed test?

Response to OP.

100m: 13.5

200m: 28.5

If talented then possible. Some people have a surprising turn of speed, helped by occasional soccer etc.

400m: 65 - very optimistic. 80s.

800m: 2:25 - nah... sub 3 maybe. 2:40 is fair.

Mile: 5:45 - not a hope. 7:00, or just under if paced well.

5k: 21:00 - can't quite believe this. Maybe 27.

10k: 45:00 - not a hope. Utterly impossible. 65:00 more like - soccer 2x monthly and no training?? healthy people train for months off a history of weekly recreational sport and can't run within minutes of this.

Marathon: 4:00:00 - I can only guess that this was included to insult people who aren't far into the 3's. With a bog standard 12-18 week training programme off RW, they're looking to break 5:00, maybe 4:45. Untrained, this is a DNF. Maybe not in the sense that they give up, but they at bestwalk it in >6 hrs for a finish outside of the cutoff. Maybe they scrape an official finish in the 5:30 range if the course is kind.

Just Google the average national results UK or USA, for those who actually run 5k/10ks - the average is like 30 minutes for 5km and 58 for 10km. That's in average people who have a go at regular events, maybe weekly, and make an attempt at training. To think their first run as described, untrained was even close to a 22 or a 45 is mind-boggling.

Sprinta wrote:

Did you continue to train the 400m when your were 26 and achieve better times or was it just a once off speed test?

i am 1.5 years in, doing what's basically low mileage miler training. i can run 56.high now.

i feel i could probably get back down to 51-52 if i dropped the distance running and did a focused 400m plan. i don't think i lost much in terms of top speed at my ripe old age of 28, but recovery seems to take longer so i can't really be doing proper speed endurance sessions with my distance running goals. (at 18:10 for the 5k right now, might make an attempt at 1:30 HM even though im only running 30-35mpw)