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The last few posts on Base Running. Fast but Not Hard drills, Rule #1 and Running Cues have been very dense. Revisit those posts often. There is a lot of “meat on the bones” and it’ll take time to implement the suggestions. So for today, something a little lighter, but still on point. We are going to watch two of the greatest 800m races in history: the 1972 Olympic final, and the 2012 Olympic final.
The 1972 Olympic final is one of the most thrilling races you’ll ever see by a true champion who is often considered the most “underrated” 800m runner.
The 2012 Olympic final is without-a-doubt the greatest 800m race ever based on the calibre of the field and the performance of every runner in the race.
A Note on the 800m
The 800m is the event in which athletes experience the highest level of acute pain – albeit for a short duration. The 800m requires a unique combination of aerobic endurance, anaerobic conditioning and sprint speed. This blend leads the runner to end up in a literal bath of acidity near the end of the race.
Watch a few world-class 800m races, and you’ll see some of the worst running technique you’ve ever seen near the end of the race. You’ll often hear 800m runners talking about the “rigor mortis” feeling. The runners’ muscles begin to shut down, and there is nothing you can do about it other than try to hang on using whichever muscles are still functional. Hence the poor technique.
With this in mind, observe the winner’s quality of running of the in both races.
1972 Olympic 800m Final
It is customary to say “Watch the White Hat” before watching this race. I can’t embed the video on this page though, so you’ll have to watch it on YouTube using this LINK.
What a race by Dave Wottle! “Wottle the Throttle.” His 400m splits were 53.3 and 52.6 (by my crude timing calculations). It is truly extraordinary to see a world-class 800m event done with a negative split. Wottle set a world record in the 800m at the Olympic trials earlier in the 1972 season. He ran a negative split in that race too. It was the last time a negative split was used to set an 800m world record. His 400m splits were 52.9 and 51.4. More on this below.
After the race, there is an amusing colour-commentary remark: “He got married. Some people said he shouldn’t have gotten married. It was going to ruin him.” Ha! Things were different in the 70s, I guess.
2012 Olympic 800m Final
I can’t embed the video on this page either, so you’ll have to watch it on YouTube using this LINK
David Rudisha sets the World Record in an Olympic Final! Amazing! But not only that:
- David Rudisha was the first person to break 1:41
- Nigel Amos finished second in 1:41.73 tying him for 3rd fastest 800m runner ever. Plus he set a new world junior record.
- All runners except one set personal bests in the race
- Three national records were broken (Kenya, Botswana, and Ethiopia).
- It was the first time that eight athletes ran under 1:44 in the same race.
- Every runner finished in a time that would have won the final in the 2008 Olympic 800m final.
David Rudisha’s 400m splits were 49.28 and 51.63. If you scroll back up, you’ll see that in his world record Dave Wottle ran a faster second 400m (51.4) than Rudisha. And this is not an exception. Pretty much all progress in the 800m since 1972 has come from running the first lap a lot faster.
Relaxed Running
I hope you noticed in both videos how smooth Dave Wottle and David Rudisha run. They both personify the Relax and Win ideals of Bud Winter. And recall this is in the most painful running event in track.
Wottle maintains his smooth stride as he passes the two Kenyans and the Russian. Rudisha is poetry in motion for the entire race. You’d have no idea that he was running so fast based on his expressionless relaxed face and posture.
During your Fast but Not Hard drills, or when it gets tough during an interval session or race, imagine Wottle and Rudisha. Challenge yourself to do what they did and run relaxed despite the discomfort. And use the techniques described in Rule #1 to do so.