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what's the fastest last lap ever in a WR men's mile?
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Re: mile WR trivia
Actually, let's start with an easier one (and not have anybody scurrying to a reference source to look it up; that's not how proper trivia works!).
WHO has the fastest last lap in a mile WR? -
Re: mile WR trivia
My guess is Jim Ryun.Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
As much as I might like for it to be Ryun, I don't think it was. His fastest last lap in either of his mile WRs was about 53.5, as I recall. I presume that either Morceli or el G finished somewhat faster than that.Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
I thought he was under 53 at Bakersfield (and was that 440yd or 400m? Which does gh's question refer to?), but I seem to recall that there were different reports at the time about the split, with some over and some under.Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
I don't know who had the fastest last lap in a mile WR, but I think I know who had the fastest first lap--and I'm talking about the record setter, not a rabbit.
I hedge my statement slightly because I don't know for sure, and I'm not home right now so I can't look it up.
In any event, that's another trivia question.Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
How about the slowest first lap WR under 4 min.? My guess JR Ryun.Originally posted by tandfmanComment
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Re: mile WR trivia
well! this just got really confusing (and ugly).
The answer depends on which source you believe.
My trivia question was predicated on the story carried in Track Newsletter a few days after Ryun's 3:51.1, in a story by Bert Nelson which says the last lap was 52.5.
Unfortunately, the story in the subsequent Track & Field News, by Cordner Nelson, says it was 53.7 (the splits for first two laps agree).
Richard Hymans goes with the slower version in the IAAF's records progression book, but don't know if he (yo, Richard!) was aware of the competing versions. Shy of somebody finding a bit of tape, don't know how to solve this mystery (fortunately, the difference between 52.5 and 53.7 is big enough that even rough stop watching off grainy film should provide the answer).
So the answer to my question was Ryun at 52.5, but that may not be the correct answer.
If Ryun was 53.7 he's still one of only two WR setters to break 54 on the last lap, but he wouldn't be the fastest. Who, in that instance then, would be?Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
For what it is worth, i recall that the Sports Illustrated story gave 53.5, but i did recall some quibbling (and slight potential upward revision).Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
Ah, yes, it's coming back to me now. Sometime in the 90s there was a discussion of Ryun's last lap at Bakersfield on the t-and-f email list, and Bob Hersh brought up the discrepancy in reported splits. I ended up looking at microfilm/fiche of various newspaper articles reporting the WR, and found, IIRC, that the discrepancy between 52.x and 53.x existed from the very beginning.
Of course, now it's probably on youtube . . .Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
The 1320 split is a little tough to get with precision on this video because of the tight camera shot and a bright flash, but to me 53.7 seems to be more likely.Originally posted by gh
The split is very likely between 2:57.0 and 2:58.0, which would mean a final lap between 54.1 and 53.1.
.Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
From the video, using the timing incrusted on the screen and a frame to frame video software, we can read a time for each lap.
Here it goes:
440y 58.9
880y 1:58.9
1320y 2:57.4
Mile 3:50.9
The 3:50.9 remains on the screen after Jim Ruyn crosses the line. It doesn't matc the official time of 3:51.0 but the lap times should be accurate. That gives 53.5 for the last lap.
I suspect that faster last lap times were wrongly taken from the white lane on the track a few yards after the finish line, which Jim Ryun crosses at 2:58.8, that give a 52.1.
[ For comparison, the times given in Progression of IAAF World Records :
440y 59.0 - 800y 1:58.9 - 1320y 2:57.4 ]Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
so the magazine version appears to be most reliable (which is good, since it's in the IAAF book):
(59.0, 59.9 [1:58.9], 58.5 [2:57.4], 53.7)
ps--the "3:50.9" on the screen dovetails well with somebody anticipating the finish of the 3:51.1, since that would in those days have been a manual function by somebody on the TV crew.Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
I've done this frame by frame photo sequence to find out the time at the bell
http://postimg.org/image/cquosvv09/
It looks like it's 3:57.3 rather than 2:57.4 as it's now clear on the picture that Ryun's torso is right on the white finish stick at 3:57.3.
Now, i'm wondering if the 2:57.3 screen-time should be corrected at 2:57.5 (as well as the other split times), just as the difference between 3:50.9 and 3:51.1 (the screen clock wasn't stopped before Ryun crossed the line hence no anticipation, so the last lap should be 53.6, which matches with the video software time code by the way = 53.56e)Comment
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Re: mile WR trivia
I'm certainly happy with the slower last lap for Ryun.
On a similar subject, the famous last lap of Ryun's in the USA-Germany meet of 1967 can be seen on the German newsreel Bundesarchiv site under the title
Die Zeit unter der Lupe 917/1967 - 22.08.1967
Even after 46 years his acceleration with 300m to go is breathtaking against star athletes.Comment
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