Is the 800m "dash" the weakest event in track?

Wayde would be lucky to break 1:48. You have no idea how any of this works.

Must be the most over-posted about subject after the NOP

Phantasy Star wrote:

Wayde would be lucky to break 1:48. You have no idea how any of this works.

Wait just a minute - are you saying Jamin is making BS threads with no idea how things actually work? GTFO!

Using that logic...

Why arent 400 runners scared of 19.3 200 runners? Surely 19.3 200 runners can jog a 42.0 400 with minimal effort. And if they can do that then they can easily run a 1:39 800. And if they can do that then it would be a piece of cake to run a 3:39 full mile. And if they can do that then a 12:20 5k should be a breeze. And if they can runn12:20 for a 5k then a 26:00 10k should be a literal jog.

So there you have it.

This just in: Usain Bolt runs 1:45 for a full marathon; says it required "minimal effort"

I will rephrase what I think you are asking: Why don't more sub-45.50 400m men move up to 800m? Why don't more sub-50.50 400m women move up to 800m?

1) 45.50 400m guys at NCAA D1 & D2 and 50.50 400m gals all most certainly get full athletic grants. Why mess with a good thing?

2) In US, top six at US Olympic Trials 400m F makes USA Olympic Team.

3) Outdoor 400m athletes have a lane the entire race. Each 400m athlete is entirely in control of their fate. If a male athlete wants to race the first 200m in exactly 21.75, no other runners prevent that from occurring. If a female 400m runner wants to race her first 200m of 400m race in 23.75, no other athlete is stopping her.

4) 800m athletes have to decide: Do I want to race the shortest distance possible and race 2 1/2 seconds slower than one's 400m PB for the first 400m? Do I want to race close to an even split race which means one will have to race in lane two or lane three the final 450m of an 800m race?

5) Since the best 400m runners in US in high school and college often train with 100m & 200m athletes, weight training for many 400m runners tends to often bump 400m athletes up to a height to weight ratio which is disadvantageous for 800m.

No, it's the strongest. The 2024 Olympic 800m gold medalist could come from any continent and any ethnicity. I'd bet my house that the 2024 100m champion will have West African ancestry and 90% likely to represent the USA or Jamaica. I'd similarly bet my house that the 2024 10,000m champion will come from East Africa, although better testing might change that at least to some extent.

In other words, the 800m champion is the best of 3 billion males on the planet, the 100m is the best of maybe 25 million (the rest aren't 'even competing) and the 10,000 the best of 50 million (East Africans)

This is why Coe is the greatest runner in history.

The top 800m guys are running ~1:43. For them, a 1:51 should feel like a jog. They would only need minimal endurance to run 2 in a row, which would make them faster than the fastest miler ever.

sbeefyk2 wrote:

Using that logic...

Why arent 400 runners scared of 19.3 200 runners? Surely 19.3 200 runners can jog a 42.0 400 with minimal effort.

It's true, but successful 200m runners get the title of being "fastest in the world" and if they move up to the 400m then they are demoted to "fastest in the world over 400 meters" plus a more painful event.

Of the non-runners I've talked to who are interested in normal sports like football and basketball, I'd say close to 1/3 know who Justin Gatlin is, but none know who Wayde van Niekerk is.

jamin wrote:

The top 400m runners can run 43-low.

The top 400m runners? Exactly 3 people have ever run under 43.5.

Make that 4.

Never mind the naive logic behind this question. Never mind the question. I think there are definitely more 400m runners than 800m runners in the world. Why, you ask? Well, a 400m runner can likely run a reasonably fast 100m/200m or move up and run and 800m. World class 400m guys can't do as much, but in high school/college running, a 400m runner could essentially run the 100, 4x100, 200, 4x200, 400, 4x400, 800, 4x800, SMR, DMR, 300, 400, 500, and if they're really talented, 300/400 hurdles. 400m runners will typically have the most range for events, and thus are the most likely to score more points/win more races at a track meet than any other runner. So, there is a chance that a 400m runner that had the potential to rewrite the world record never ran the 800 to his full potential, that is probably the reason why: they went for quality instead of quantity. Or they just didn't want to run such a painful event.

Hard to comment on this one. There are millions of people in the world running various races and the rule that says water finds its level applies.

Coevett wrote:

This is why Coe is the greatest runner in history.

Please excuse me while I go throw up.

jamin wrote:

Of the non-runners I've talked to who are interested in normal sports like football and basketball, I'd say close to 1/3 know who Justin Gatlin is, but none know who Wayde van Niekerk is.

The 200m and 400m are the weakest events. In fact, I'd say that the 200m is almost pointless. If 400m runners could easily move up and dominate the 800m, they would, because the 800m is far more prestigous. A 400m/800m double is an incredible achievement, meaning you are a master of both sprinting and middle-distance, and that's why Juantoreno is still a legend after 40 years. If VN could easily move up to 800m and crush Rudisha, he would, because in doing so he'd become the greatest and richest athlete ever to have stepped on a track. He wont, and Rudisha will remain many times more famous than him.

Coevett wrote:

jamin wrote:

Of the non-runners I've talked to who are interested in normal sports like football and basketball, I'd say close to 1/3 know who Justin Gatlin is, but none know who Wayde van Niekerk is.

The 200m and 400m are the weakest events. In fact, I'd say that the 200m is almost pointless. If 400m runners could easily move up and dominate the 800m, they would, because the 800m is far more prestigous. A 400m/800m double is an incredible achievement, meaning you are a master of both sprinting and middle-distance, and that's why Juantoreno is still a legend after 40 years. If VN could easily move up to 800m and crush Rudisha, he would, because in doing so he'd become the greatest and richest athlete ever to have stepped on a track. He wont, and Rudisha will remain many times more famous than him.

Actually, if he beats Usain Bolt's 200m record, which he is supposedly trying to do, he will be 100x more famous and rich than Rudisha.

jamin wrote:

Coevett wrote:

The 200m and 400m are the weakest events. In fact, I'd say that the 200m is almost pointless. If 400m runners could easily move up and dominate the 800m, they would, because the 800m is far more prestigous. A 400m/800m double is an incredible achievement, meaning you are a master of both sprinting and middle-distance, and that's why Juantoreno is still a legend after 40 years. If VN could easily move up to 800m and crush Rudisha, he would, because in doing so he'd become the greatest and richest athlete ever to have stepped on a track. He wont, and Rudisha will remain many times more famous than him.

Actually, if he beats Usain Bolt's 200m record, which he is supposedly trying to do, he will be 100x more famous and rich than Rudisha.

Maybe, but he certainly would be if he moved up to the 800m and broke Rudisha's world record. If he breaks the 200m world record, his fame will come largely from having bettered Usian Bolt, who is on another level of fame to any other runner in the world. And Usain Bolt isn't famous for the 200m, he's famous for the 100m. If Bolt had remained a 200/400m runner, as he was originally, he would never have achieved the fame he did. Michael Johnson never achieved 1% of the worldwide fame of Bolt (or even Carl Lewis). Rudisha runs one event and he's more famous than VN and Johnson combined.