Unlike in sprinting there are many ways to run middle distances of 800m and 1,500m, and in races like these careful pacing and considered tactics certainly come into play. So what is the secret of success?
The majority of athletes like to find a position in the pack of runners just behind the leader so they are best placed to accelerate or respond to others accelerating in the final stages of the race. A few feel they are better equipped to lead from the outset and then repel challengers as the pace speeds up.
800m
Over 800m athletes begin the race in their own lane just as in the sprints, but after completing the first bend they “break from lanes” and it becomes a free-for-all to hold their ground. This can often lead to athletes running three abreast (likewise over 1,500m) and this in turn leads runners to run further than the actual distance! Other athletes prefer to hang back, but then have to push their way through their opponents, which is often not easy.
In addition, races are often run with pace-makers, with athletes designated to ensure the race is quick from the outset which clearly puts the accent on stamina.
While the 800m race is close to the 400m in distance you rarely see an athlete perform at the highest levels over both distances as the training involved for each is very different. Middle-distance athletes are instead more likely to “move up” in distances and graduate to the 5,000m at a later stage in their careers.
1,500m
The 1,500-metre race is run in 3¾ laps of the standard outdoor oval track. The distance is too far for athletes to sprint all the way, so the secret of success is mastering the fine balance between speed and stamina, and careful pacing. Many of the most dramatic victories have happened over the last few metres of the final stretch. Britain’s number-one 1,500m athletes are Andy Baddeley and Lisa Dobriskey (the world silver medallist).
Statistics
The current men's 800m world record-holder is Kenyan athlete Wilson Kipketer, with a time of 1.41.11, set in 1997.
The current women's 800m world record-holder is Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilová, with a time of 1.53.28, set in 1983.
The current men's 1,500m world record-holder is Hicham El Guerrouj, from Morocco, with a time of 3.26, set in 1998.
The current women's 1,500m world record-holder is Qu Yunxia, from China, with a time of 3.50.46, set in 1993.