Olympic Pace Challenge

Workout - Olympic Pace Challenge

• 10min @ 6'00''/km
• 1.6km @ 3'50''/km
• 2min rest
• 1.2km @ 3'27''/km
• 2min rest
• 800m @ 2'55''/km
• 10min @ 6'30''/km

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Intro: ever curious how you’d measure up against Olympic-level athletes? This Messy Happy looks at that question in How FAST do Olympic Champions Actually Run? Here’s what they found, plus a workout you can do now. Watch the full video for the details.

Key points:

• The creator stacks personal performance against four elite racers: Jan Frodeno, Kristian Blumenfeld, Gustav Iden, and Alistair Brownlee.
• Swimming pace in seconds per 100 m: Brownlee 108 s, Frodeno 114 s, Iden 116 s, Blumenfeld 132 s.
• On the bike, watts per kilogram (W/kg) tells the real story. These athletes hold 5 to 6 W/kg over 30 minutes, roughly 365 W for a 63 kg athlete.
• The run shows the biggest gaps across distances: marathon at 3:50 min/km, half-marathon at 3:27 min/km, 10 km at 2:55 min/km.
• Takeaway: find your PB, work out your target W/kg or pace, then use a pacing app to adjust for your weight and fitness.

Workout example:

1. Swim. Warm up, then build to these efforts:
   • 200 m at 130 s/100 m (if your PB is 129 s/100 m). For the 400 m repeat, hold 132 s/100 m.
2. Bike. Hold 5.7 W/kg for 30 minutes (roughly 365 W at 63 kg). No power meter? Keep HR between high-170s and low-180s bpm and adjust.
3. Run. 10 minutes at 5 min/km (“Walmart pace”), then work up through each segment:
   • Marathon: 3:50 min/km. The pace Jan Frodeno used for his 2:42 marathon.
   • Half-marathon: 3:27 min/km. PB pace from a 1:16 hr half-marathon.
   • 10 km: 2:55 min/km. Alistair Brownlee’s Olympic standard.
4. Cool-down. Easy jog or walk. Stay mostly in Zone 2 to 3 by heart rate.

Closing note: try these elite-level paces in the Pacing app. Scale them to your fitness and body weight.

References

• How FAST do Olympic Champions Actually Run? - YouTube (YouTube Video)