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How to Increase Indoor Track Attendance & TV Coverage

I have an idea on how to increase the indoor Track and Field attendance, as well as TV coverage… chase after obscure World Records.  That is, chase after WRs set in Yards from over 25 years ago.
A recent case of this type of marketing was the special 500 yards WR setup for Jearl Miles-Clark, […]

400 meter splits - 2009 Berlin World Championships

The official splits from the IAAF can be found here (PDF).  What can we learn from these splits?
Standard Coaching Theory
If your opening 200m is within 1 second of your best 200m, and the differential between the 1st half and 2nd half is about 2 seconds, then simple logic determines your 400m time potential is doubled […]

200 Meter Speed for the 400 Meters

I was going over the archives of some of my favourite world class quarter-milers, and just wanted an idea on their 100m or 200m times.
This list proves you don’t need to run sub 20.00 for a 200m to break 44, but it certainly helps!
One thing is certain, you must have decent 200m speed if […]

400 Meters – Speed is the Key

Gone are the days where the 400 meters was an event for 800 meter runners who moved down in distance.
Today, I am convinced the short sprinters have an advantage over the “strength” sprinters like Lee Evans and Butch Reynolds.  I am referring to the successes of Quincy Watts and Michael Johnson.  In MJ’s case, my […]

Dwain Chambers Saga Continues

There’s a lot of talk about banning Dwain Chambers at European meets, or even banning him completely from Track and Field for writing the book Race Against Me: My Story.

This post is not about whether he was right or wrong in taking steroids and PEDs. I’ll leave that opinion up to you, the readers.

What […]

Ground Contact Time, Stride Length and Fatigue in the 400m

This study showed the kinetic parameters at 150m and 350m during a 400m race. The male subject was the 44.94 by Thomas Schönlebe and the female subject was the 48.56 by Marita Koch. Some may argue the latter was also a male.

The study was from “Incidenza dell’allenamento di forza su alcuni aspetti structurali […]

What is Speed Reserve? Part 1 - 400 meter Sprinter types

Before I discuss the topic of speed reserve, I want to talk about the different types of 400 meter sprinters.

Types of 400 meter runners

100/200 sprinters moving up to the 400m: In the past, short sprinters moving up the distance were rare. Remember Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire? Today, we’ve […]

Last Ten 400 meters Dash Olympic Champions

I was going to post the last ten 400 meters dash Olympic Champions, but decided to post the last 16 Olympic medalists since the post WWII “modern era”.

To read more about these athletes, click on the link under their name. Some names require no introductions.

This list is a classic, but it leaves me with […]

Christine Ohuruogu Upsets Sanya Richards in 400m Final

You got to have respect for the 400 meters.

Go too easy, you end up playing catchup (shades of Butch Reynolds Olympic 1988 come to mind)

Go too hard, you pay the price over the last 50 or 100 meters.

At least that’s what it appeared to be on live TV. Every Quarter-Miler knows the feeling […]

Michael (Mike) Larrabee Olympic 400 Meters

Mike Larrabee is famous for his “come from behind” or “even splits” 400 Meters Gold medal from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The Americans swept the medals, and they didn’t repeat that feat until 400 meters in Athens 2004 with Jeremy Wariner, Otis Harris, and Derrick Brew.

Mike Larrabee also won a second Gold in the […]

Justin Gatlin Files Suit to Compete at US Trials

Here we go again.

I hope this court order doesn’t cause the 100 meters US Trials to be delayed by several days.

If history repeats itself, you may remember the incident at the 1992 US Trials.

In 1990, Butch Reynolds was banned two years by the IAAF.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) cleared Butch Reynolds to run at […]

Michael Johnson Motivation.com

Michael Johnson has a new website for motivational speaking, and it’s not to be confused with his Michael Johnson Performance Center.
Who the heck is Michael Johnson?
To recap his resume:

Gold Medalist, 400m, Olympic Games, Sydney, 2000
Gold Medalist, 4×400m, Olympic Games, Sydney, 2000
Gold Medalist, 300m in 30.85 seconds, Engen Grand Prix, Pretoria, South Africa, 2000
Gold Medalist, 400m […]

400 Meters: Can you Drop from 45 to 43 in One Year?

In the 400 meters, can you drop your personal best from 45 seconds down to 43 seconds in one year?
The answer is yes.
In 1967, Lee Evans ran a 44.9 hand time (equivalent to a 45.04 FAT) behind Tommie Smith’s 400 meter World Record of 44.5, then ran 43.86 in Mexico City in 1968.
In 1987, Steve […]

Butch Reynolds 400 meter 1996 Atlanta Grand Prix

The 1996 Atlanta Track and Field Grand Prix was held two months prior to the Summer Olympics as a “warm up” to the USATF Olympic Trials.
Two of the favorites in this race was Butch Reynolds & Deon Minor won by Reynolds in 44.33. It also had Briton’s Iwan Thomas and Roger Black.
Here’s a brief […]

Coaching Track & Field Successfully - 400 Meters

This is a Sample Chapter: 400 METERS from Coaching Track & Field Successfully by Mark Guthrie.
The 400 Meters
Athletes who specialize in the 400 meters can be the cornerstone of a successful track program. They can provide good coverage in the 100, 200, 400, 4 x 100, 4 x 200, and 4 x 400 […]

Comparing 400m World Records: Lee Evans 43.86 - Butch Reynolds 43.29 - Michael Johnson 43.18

These records were set in 1968, 1988, and 1999 respectively.

Lee Evans 43.86
Butch Reynolds 43.29
Michael Johnson 43.18

Here are the races from YouTube as a single file.

Note how Lee Evans drives to the line and leans for the finish. Larry James also runs sub-44 for the silver medal.

In Butch Reynold’s World Record at Zurich ‘88, […]

Comparing 4×400m World Records of 2:56.16

In both the 1968 and 1988 Olympics, USA ran the exact same time of 2:56.16 in the 4×400m relay 20 years apart. (1968 was set in altitude in Mexico City).
The roll call for 1968 was Vincent Matthews, Ron Freeman, Larry James, and Lee Evans.
In 1988, it was Danny Everett, Steve Lewis, Kevin Robinzine, and […]

Top 10 Sprint Races - #6 - 4×400m Relay World Record in Barcelona 1992

The World and Olympic 4×400 meter relay record was tied at 2:56.16 set in the 1968 & 1988 Olympic finals.
The 1992 USA Olympic Trials were controversial enough with the appearance of Butch Reynolds and the IAAF “tainted” rule, thus the 400m was delayed several days. He was “named” to the relay pool, but was […]

Speedlinking: The Complete Guide to 400 Meter Training

UPDATE: download Clyde Hart’s 60 page Training Manual from the 2007 USATF NPEP Conference.

Speedlinking is a term to define a collection (or handful) of good posts on a particular topic, very similar to a Blog Carnival.
Here is a collection of workouts and race strategies from around the world:
From Speedendurance.com’s archives:

Clyde Hart Training Seminar Notes
Differences […]

Calculating Splits for the 400 meters

I wish reporters would realize it takes about 1 second to account for acceleration out of the blocks.
In Michael Phillip’s Furious Pistorius Blade Runner slams IAAF, Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympian, ran 47.65 before he was disqualified for running out of his lane.
They quote:

[… Pistorius clocked 47.65 before his time was wiped […]

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