Worst you've ever died in a race

At our HS Conference Championship 1500m race, one kid ran 3:00 through 1200m... he ended up holding on for a 2 second win... in 4:09. His 800m PR was 1:58 for perspective. He was the favorite to win the 800m later that day, but he ended up getting dead last because he was just dead from the 1500m.

800 meter race went from first to 4th the last 60 meters.

Wisconsin Nuttycomb Invite a couple year back. was in the top-10 at 4K. Finished near the 170's. Coach was not happy.

Just came off a really strong XC Conference where I PR'd by 30sec. The team got an at large bid after regionals, and I thought I was gonna be top 150 at Nationals...wound up last place pretty, split like 7min miles once or twice. Worst race of my life until outdoor track conference where I got last in three different events after being ranked in the top 10 for two of them.

If you died in a race, how are you alive to post about it? Are you a ghost? This post is offensive. You shouldn’t be joking about dying. You should be ashamed of yourself. Tough scene.

5:07-5:45 for 3200m

In college hopped up on antibiotics for bronchitis, hit 3:06 for 1200 in a 1500. Completely ran out of gas at 1350. Went from 2nd to last running 4:07. From sub 4:10 mile pace to running the last 300 in 5:24 pace.....most of the slowing in the last 100 meters so I was probably going well over 6 min pace.

In a marathon several years later went from 5:45 pace for the first 21 miles, then died averaging 7:45 for the last 5.2 walking once.

Never got the chance to do an open 400 and wanted to before districts... ran some sprints on the weekend with my brother at a local track then for 400: went out in 24 flat, finished about 56 seconds for a 32 second last 200...

marathon - best shape ever - ran 1:08 first half but died at about 15 miles and finished in around 2:50.

Amaro11 wrote:

What's the worst you've ever died in a race?

Nothing crazy but I was a 5:30ish HS miler. I went out once in 2:10 and finished 6:20. I was praying for death throughout the last 400m.

Anyone else just completely die during a race?

Tried to win a xc race in highschool at the 2 mile marker. 5 guys remained other than me. Went through in 9:50 feeling great and that wouldve been a 8 second PR at the time. Caught a cramp Then finished in 15:51 while the winner ran 15:20.

I never had a coach so ran races really stupidly when I started. My two most memorable were 1) my first 5k where I went out 5:40, 8+, 9+ and 2) my first marathon where I went 1:32 first half and 1:55 through the 2nd half.

Pikes Peak Ascent. First 10 miles (to treeline) in 3 hours. Last 3 miles in nearly 2 hours.

First Marathon

Aimed for a Sub3, finished in 3:02:xx, I fainted, was in bed all day and urinated blood after the race.

Boston 2007 (had the flu the week before but had the trip planned and time off work so I went). This was one of the bad weather years with rain and wind. Before the flu, I thought I was in PR shape and aiming for something 2:35ish. Went through the half in 1:17. Things got bad quickly and culminated in me standing in a port-o-john for several minutes (that's right - just standing) at mile 25 trying to get myself together enough to jog the last mile. Nobody stops at mile 25 - but I did that day. Have you ever had 800+ people pass you in a 6 mile strech? I have - it ain't fun! I think I was in the top 100 or so and faded to a steller 9XXth place and failed to break 3:00 for the first time ever. That was a great day!

noolan wrote:

cotton shirt wrote:

in his first mile race in High School Jim Ryun ran the first lap in 86 seconds and the second lap in 89, giving him 2:55 for 880 yards. then some kind of Demon overtook him and he ran 69 seconds for the third lap, making it 4:04 for three laps. but then he died, and the last lap took him 94 seconds and he finished 14th in 5:38

21 months later he broke 4 minutes for the mile.

cheers.

Is this true?

It was a team time trial in the very early part of his first (sophomore) year of cross-country in high school. Those were the splits that were recorded for him.

I've long wondered about those, because he was one of dozens of kids running that trial. The splits might be right; or he might have, say, actually run *79* seconds for the third lap and *84* for the last. But in any case he did notch a 5:38 in that mile, good for 14th place on his team.

At the end of that season he finished sixth in the Kansas state championship meet.

400m open, trainers without blocks because I'm an idiot. 23/36 for 60.x. Hardest 60 400m race ever.

First marathon, age 18. Half PR was (and still is) 1:20:xx. Hit the half in 1:23, feeling awesome. Ran (and walked, and outright stopped) the second half in 1:40 to finish in 3:03.

Obviously that sucked, and I still remember coming to a complete stop at an aid station at mile 20+. But honestly... if I could go out that fast and then lose only that much time on the second half, my main takeaway now (many, many years later) is that I was actually in really good shape (for an 18-year-old first-time marathoner). If I'd hit the half in 1:30, I bet I could have strolled to a sub-3. Oops. Lesson learned the hard way.

Also, I love this thread. Also, 18-year-olds don't know anything.

Hit 1200 of a 1500 in 3:14, was holding strong kicking but tied up so hard the last 120. finished in 4:11.

Came through 3k of a 5k in 9:00. Finished in 15:50. Albeit I was racing injured, but still. That was a miserable last 5 laps.

Done a few marathons hitting half way in 76:00 and coming in mid 2:40.

ah, the joys.

Well there was that one time...