crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

[mcgato]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

I was at Penn this year, and that girls 4x8 was crazy. Edwin Allen was a ways behind at the second exchange (looks like 4.4 seconds), and their runner went out at a full sprint. She passed the two leaders as they hit the backstretch for the first time. As she passed the leader, the leader dropped the baton. I'm not sure if the EA runner bumped the leader or if the leader was startled into dropping it.

I think the announcer said the first lap was 55.7. I actually expected her to fall on her face on the second lap, but she held it together. The anchor from Columbus had a great leg. Going down the backstretch on the final lap, she had a laser focus on first and her face said that she would pass her.

[kuha]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

I've mentioned before Jason Pyrah's exciting 1600 at the 1987 (?) Missouri state HS meet. He went out in 56 and 1:56...hanging on for 4:03 and change, as I recall.

[Jon]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

Alysia Montano with her 56 openers

Yep, at least year's US Trials she ran 55.65/64.61 (2:00.25) in the semis, then 55.88/63.21 (1:59.08) in the final. When she set her 1:57.34 PB, it was off the back of a slower first lap (around 56.8-ish).

But some people never learn. Just look at Britain's answer to Montano, Marilyn Okoro. This was the most spectacular of her tactical cock-ups:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc8iysji2Fk
Splits - 27.68, 56.10, 1:26.39, 2:03.30 (crawling over the line - literally).

[EPelle]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

I've mentioned before Jason Pyrah's exciting 1600 at the 1987 (?) Missouri state HS meet. He went out in 56 and 1:56...hanging on for 4:03 and change, as I recall.

Yes, he ran a similar solo at GWI: 56-1.56-2.56-4.04y (or thereabouts). Some amazing stories never get old.

[deanouk]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

That 1:49.18 split was not for Robinson in that Stockholm 1500 in 81, it was Coe's split.
I have the race on dvd and uploaded it onto YouTube.
Robinson went through 400 in 51.5! with Coe already 7m back in 52.4. The splits given were for Coe, not the leader. Both Robinson's and Coe's splits for that race were also published in T&fn at the time. Robinson went through 800 in 1:47.5, Coe in 1:49.1.
Coe' first 2 laps are the fastest I've ever heard of in an elite 1500m. That he could basically front run a 3:31.9 that day and miss the world record by just half a second, off such diabolical pacing, underlines that he should have ruptured 3:30.

[KDFINE]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

I don't think any discussion of crazy splits can really be complete without mentioning Tom Byers.

[br]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

I don't think any discussion of crazy splits can really be complete without mentioning Tom Byers.

If you're referring to the pacemaking job he did in the '81 Bieslett Games in Oslo, the splits weren't that crazy. Yes, he was far ahead of the field he was pacing, but none of the notables (Ovett, Scott, Wessinghage, etc...) were willing to go with him. 57.52, 1:54.83, 2:53.09, 3:39.01.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28_WpclPgTo

[KDFINE]

Re: crazy splits in 800 and 1500/mile races

I just had a vague recollection of him going out fast and trying to win the race, not just a pacemaking effort for others.