I can run faster than Usain Bolt!

I made this comment in work today and after the laughs died down I added – over the marathon distance. I was only joking around of course but it got me thinking to what sort of times can a world class  100m sprinter run a marathon. Does anyone know of such a sprinter who has run a marathon and if so what was his time? I’d imagine it would have to be someone who has just retired as I don’t think any sprinter would do such a thing.

Comments

  • MoraghanMoraghan ✭✭✭

    I don't know of any that have tried.  It's doubtful you'd be faster than any world class track athlete over any distance if he put any training to it.

  • don't know about out and out sprinters but Seb Coe who was nifty over 800m did one - a time of 2:58 so not that great in the scheme of things. don't know how much training he did for it though
  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭

    Didn't Steve Cram do a quite respectable time in FLM in recent years?

  • He was an 800m / 1500m runnner though, and quite good at it. It`d be interesting to see our drug-fuelled sprinters have a crack - Wells, Christie and Chambers. Maybe that ought to have been part of their punishment!!!??!
  • I read somewhere about the distance that sprinters train over and their maximum runs were all less than a kilometer or so  - they really dont do any distance at all. So you would have the edge there.  Plus some of them are built like brick lavvies....

    Oh hang on Iwan Thomas ran London last year - just under 4 hours I think ?

  • In the world of two wheels.

    During training for the Olympics/World Championships, the Russian track-sprinters (& all the various velodrome disciplines) used to go out for the 'long rides' with the road team, & maybe knock up 70-80 mile rides per day (& their speciality may be the 1K sprint)

    I believe the same thing happens to a certain extent with the present British track teams.

    On a similar note; Lance Armstrong, between his 2005 retirement, & his return to the bike, ran marathons (eg; 2007 New York in 2.46, & 2008 Boston in 2.51)

    But let's not forget he was a (junior) runner initally, before becoming a triathlete (& beating the 20 year olds when he was 16)

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    I remember all the numpty debates about Lance Armstrong and what time he might achieve, when he announced he was running the New York marathon.  VO2max of 85 milliwotsits per thingy, therefore he should go out and break the world record.  Innit.

    Interesting question about sprinters though.  If someone is born with an unusually large proportion of fast twitch muscle fibres, would this actually put them at a disadvantage in the marathon, compared to your average Joe?? 

    If you gave Usain Bolt a zillion pounds to train for a sub-2:30 for London next year, could he do it?  image

  • PhilPub wrote (see)

    I remember all the numpty debates about Lance Armstrong and what time he might achieve, when he announced he was running the New York marathon.  VO2max of 85 milliwotsits per thingy, therefore he should go out and break the world record.  Innit.


    Personally I reckon Lances biggest advantage in the marathons was that he believed in himself (okay & he had a level of fitness us mere mortals could only dream of)

    Yes I know he was coached by damned good marathon runners, & even told to slow down during the 'NYM'

  • Richard Thackeray 2 wrote (see)

    On a similar note; Lance Armstrong, between his 2005 retirement, & his return to the bike, ran marathons (eg; 2007 New York in 2.46, & 2008 Boston in 2.51)

    But let's not forget he was a (junior) runner initally, before becoming a triathlete (& beating the 20 year olds when he was 16)

    Abraham Olano (Spanish cyclist, professional at the same time as LA, now retired) knocked out a 2-36 marathon and I believe Rolf Aldag (ex professional cyclist) has beaten Lance's times as well.
    Chris Boardman ran London last year and did 3h19
  • skottyskotty ✭✭✭
    Going back to sprinters v distance runners, it used to be painful watching Daley Thompson going round the 1500m and trying to get the time he needed.
  • Correction in November 2006 he ran the San Sebastian marathon in a time of 2:39:19. Aldag ran the Hamburg marathon in April 2006 with a time of 2 hours 42 minutes
  • MoraghanMoraghan ✭✭✭

    I always remember Daley Thompson sauntering round the 1500m because he already had the overall event in the bag!  Pretty obvious it's a race he hated.

    Seb Coe didn't race / train hard for that marathon.

  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    I think Cram ran low 2.30s for the marathon.  Ovett ran a very good HM when still a world-class 800/1500 runner, although again I suppose this tells us more about the 'twitch fibres' of 800/1500 runners than how a sprinter would fare over a marathon!
  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    What made DT's 1500m look even slower was that he was running them at the same time that Coe, Ovett and Cram were around!

    I've never run 1,500m but I just plugged my best race time into McMillan and it reckons I could beat DT's pb (4:20.3) by 2 secs!  image  (Bet it would hurt though.)

  • FreemersFreemers ✭✭✭
    the egyptian toe wrote (see)
    He was an 800m / 1500m runnner though, and quite good at it. It`d be interesting to see our drug-fuelled sprinters have a crack - Wells, Christie and Chambers. Maybe that ought to have been part of their punishment!!!??!
    Was Alan Wells a drug cheat? I'd not heard that....or have I just missed something?
  • I don't think Wells was a drug cheat - not that anything ever came out although he was around before testing was truly mainstream. his biggest issue revolved around his Moscow 100m gold which many thought was devalued as the Yanks had boycotted the games........
  • You can guarantee that in a race of 42.2kms, Usain Bolt would be bound to trip over his laces at some point, with the very real possibility of injuring himself. So on balance, yes BadBark, there is a possibility you could beat him in a marathon. I'd probably still bet on him though. With a grin like that, he'd charm the finishing line towards him.

    image

  • Joolska wrote (see)
    I think Cram ran low 2.30s for the marathon. 
    Wiki has Cram down for 2:35 in 1999 for the marathon
  • Alan Wells never got caught . . ..
  • Matchstick Man wrote (see)
    Abraham Olano (Spanish cyclist, professional at the same time as LA, now retired) knocked out a 2-36 marathon and I believe Rolf Aldag (ex professional cyclist) has beaten Lance's times as well.
    Chris Boardman ran London last year and did 3h19



    I knew about Boardman (& his unaerodynamic beard!) at the London Marathon, but not Olao & Aldag.

    One of the English ex-semi professional (as in; 'domestic' racing scene) once ran a marathon in about 2:30 - think it may have been Darryl Webster (Manchester Wheelers??)

  • Roger Black ran the FLM in somewhere around 3.15 I think.  400m is technically a sprint.  Mind you Roger Black would have been carryiing around a lot less weight than Usain.  I reckon Usain would struggle with a sub 3 marathon as he must weigh 14-15 stone.
  • BadbarkBadbark ✭✭✭

    Thanks for all the replies everyone and it looks like the jury is still out. I hope to run a sub 3:30 PB in my next marathon and whether Usian Bolt could beat that time would be arguable. I’m sure he has a very high percentage of fast twitch muscle fibres and a lot would depend on how much training he was to do. Even if he gave up sprinting I’d be surprised if he could beat 3:30 even after 6 months training but after 2 years I think he could.

    I ran a 2:53 21 mile LSR on Saturday so I’d be willing to bet that I could easily beat him if we ran a marathon now!image

  • Quality bit of journalism Kittenkat!

    I'd be willing to bet a large amount of money on Bolt running sub 2:30, regardless of how much money was on the table for him...as many on here have pointed out he just simply isn't built for long distance running, and he'd be lucky to get around the course let alone do a decent time.

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