How fast can the average american run a mile? Can anyone train and go under 6 minutes?

The ad is aimed at people who think they are in shape, but aren't. They fail their 2K time trial, and instead of a free session, they are shamed into signing up for pay sessions.

There is a video of a fat guy eating a several tacos that was floating around on this site a year ago, he runs 400m eats a taco, runs 400m eats at taco and runs 6:08 mile. He's no where near average weight. I think that a lot of people think that a 6 minute mile is faster than it really is.

targeted just right wrote:

The ad is aimed at people who think they are in shape, but aren't. They fail their 2K time trial, and instead of a free session, they are shamed into signing up for pay sessions.

Ah. Smart. That makes sense now! Cheers.

But, how easy is a 6 minute mile for the average person? Impossible for some or not?

Any guy can almost certainly run a sub 6 mile with enough training (if they aren't injured or disabled in some way, obviously). I'd guess any woman could probably run below 7. However, if someone is already 500 pounds at 25 years old it may be too late for them to lose the weight and run it.

I personally think that with the proper training and diet any guy could run sub-5 but there are too many variables to be able to begin to measure this with.

I am 2.5 hobby jogging years into it [all life non-runner] and am sitting at a 6:06 mile PR at age 43. Summer before 9th grade I went 5:30 in a TT/hand timed by our swim coach during hellweek when they were trying to kill us. I was one of the better running swimmers though.

I run about 20 mpw, wish I could do more, but follow a balanced lifting/tri cycle and its about all I can squeeze in. Needless to say I get smoked on the run.

The fat taco chomping guy would smoke me. Much like the fat hairy manbeast that beat me in our towns biggest 10k race, just pulled away around mile 4 with parts bouncing in all the wrong directions. I went a 44:30 and sadly PR'd even. I do hate the 10k though.

So not sure what to say exactly. It was 'easy' to break as an active HS kid. Now I have no idea how I could ever get back around 5:30 lol. I have more endurance now but way less speed. Like my 400m is a solid 10s slower.

I'm too heavy to be a fast runner also probably [6'1/190#, 15% hydro-verified BF%], but not exactly obese.

You're completely off base. Not only is a 6-minute mile something basically anyone could do if they trained for it, the fact you think that someone who runs 7:20 for 2k is someone who "runs a lot" is ridiculous. I'm sure at my absolute fattest, most out of shape moment in the past 15 years (going literally months without a single run and 200+ pounds) I could have run a 7:20 2000m. Someone who runs that time is either without talent and in decent running shape, moderately talented and kinda out of shape, or very talented and very out of shape.

I'm sure you're very proud of the hard work it took for your 5:40 mile, but it's within the realm of most healthy adults (at least males) who put in any degree of effort.

Boring rehash of the same stupid question on here every couple of weeks

hjasdfl;alsdff wrote:

Any guy can almost certainly run a sub 6 mile with enough training I personally think that with the proper training and diet any guy could run sub-5 but there are too many variables to be able to begin to measure this with.

ANY guy? Not at age 50.

I coached my 27-y.o. girlfriend to a 4:30 1500 after three years. She broke 6:00 after two months including intervals, and she won her first 5K in 18:34 a few months later.

Her starting point was 6:59 off of jogging maybe 5-10 miles/week plus swimming and biking. For the average woman, sub-6:00 takes pretty serious coaching. Even good HS XC teams have lots of girls who never break 6:00.

Can anyone with the proper amount of training? NO

Average American? You mean the average of every 14-65yo? or the average american?

14:02/13:00

Y'all don't even know what average is.

Alan

I think 6:00 is right on the cusp of what every average guy could do. I've (m/32) never been a great athlete, but I've never been a lazy slob either. Recently I got into hobbyjogging (since around summer 2016). I run ~30mpw and recently started doing 800 interval workouts in 3:00, 1k in 3:50s, LT tempos in the low 6:20s. I could probably run a 6:00 mile today, but it wouldn't exactly feel easy.

I think that most sedentary males who are relatively low bodyfat could run a 6:00 mile after about 6 months of consistent running. But I think very few could do so straight off the couch. So I'd say the OP has not lost his sense of what is achievable for the average guy.

I don't think it's that hard my little sister has done it and she's ten, and all the people in highschool who were unmotivated and badly trained could basically all do it too, the few who didn't were still like 6:20 at worst and mainly just because they didn't even really run the whole thing.

Since the ad was outside a crossfit, there's a 98% chance you misread it, and it read "row" 2k in 7:20. Because that's a thing. The row machine. They are obsessed with that. Running 2k would make zero sense in the crossfit world. They wouldn't even have a way to measure it.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Y'all don't even know what average is.

Alan

Again Only Alan is the voice of reason. Sub 8 might be possible for many men after considerable fitness training.

Sub 6 is a super human effort for a large swath of the population. Most people will never sniff a 90 second quarter let alone string 4 of those together.

This forum is filled with talented runners that distorts their viewpoint of what's possible for most.

test3d wrote:

There is a video of a fat guy eating a several tacos that was floating around on this site a year ago, he runs 400m eats a taco, runs 400m eats at taco and runs 6:08 mile. He's no where near average weight. I think that a lot of people think that a 6 minute mile is faster than it really is.

I call bull. I've seen jogging classes at my university with kids who look moderately healthy and have been training for a semester trying to go sub 6 but they can't.

I would guess about 50% of Americans are either over 50 years old or under 13, and an extremely small margin of those people could run under 6 minutes. I think as runners we underestimate how hard running under 6 minutes can be for a non-runner.

after 60 a 6 minute mile is ''sub-elite''. after 65 prob "elite". but I would argue we are 'guys' too.

Sub elite hobby jogger wrote:

Runningart2004 wrote:

Y'all don't even know what average is.

Alan

Again Only Alan is the voice of reason. Sub 8 might be possible for many men after considerable fitness training.

Sub 6 is a super human effort for a large swath of the population. Most people will never sniff a 90 second quarter let alone string 4 of those together.

This forum is filled with talented runners that distorts their viewpoint of what's possible for most.

Absolutely.

I mean, what are we talking about here? If you pulled the "average" person off the street and sent him to Eugene and he had to follow some impossible to maintain discipline while taking the special sauce, I imagine sub 6 is theorically possible. But for most people, following a realistic and disciplined training program, sub 8 is more like it. Seriously, people on this forum have no comprehension of what the average American can do. Many of those guys who, back in high school, could fire off a 7 minute mile off little training have totally wrecked their bodies by their 30s.

Well, just looked up a local mile track race from last year. About 50% of 118 men participating broke 6 min. All ages, kids-to-seniors in race. Organized by local running club.

I'd have to say for those without weight problems, sub 6 is a reasonable possibility and most anyone ( under 50 and not overweight) doing some training could run 6:40.