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 explores that exact question in How FAST do Olympic Champions Actually Run? Here’s what they discovered—plus a workout you can tackle right now. Head to the full video if you want to see all the details.

Key Points

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

Workout Example

1. Swim – Warm up first, then build to these efforts:
   • 200 m at 130 s/100 m (if your PB sits at 129 s/100 m). For the 400 m repeat, try to stay at 132 s/100 m.
2. Bike – Hold 5.7 W/kg for the entire 30 minutes (roughly 365 W if you weigh 63 kg). No power meter? Keep your heart rate between high-170s and low-180s bpm and adjust as needed.
3. Run – Begin with 10 minutes at 5 min/km (call it your “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—your personal best time from a 1:16 hr half-marathon.
   • 10 km: 2:55 min/km—Alistair Brownlee’s Olympic standard.
4. Cool-down – Finish with an easy jog or walk to recover. Spend most of the session in Zone 2–3 for heart-rate purposes.

Closing Note Test these elite-level paces with the Pacing app. Scale them to match your own fitness and body weight, then go out and see what you can do. Push hard and enjoy the challenge!

References

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