Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world and six-time Olympic gold medalist, has never run a mile. Bolt's agent, Ricky Simms, confirmed the fact with the New Yorker this week, and it shocked many (and also had a lot of people who have run a mile patting themselves on the back, including this writer). But to those in the running community, it's not surprising at all.
Bolt—who's representing Jamaica in the 2016 Summer Olympics—is a sprinter who competes in the 4 x 100 meter relay, 200-meter, and 100-meter events. To put this in perspective: There are about 1,609 meters in a mile, so Bolt's running at most only about 12 percent of a mile when he competes in the 200-meter event. And when you're running that short of a distance, you're operating on a different energy system—anaerobic—than a mid-distance or long-distance runner, who's getting in aerobic exercise.
Related: Here's Exactly How To Run Your Fastest Mile
Simply put (because this stuff is complicated): Aerobic exercise means muscles generate energy from oxygen, which helps keep you moving for an extended period of time (think swimming or cycling). During anaerobic exercise (think weight lifting and sprinting), muscles need energy faster than oxygen can deliver it, so energy comes from breaking down glucose (aka sugar) instead. Because of this, sprinting and mid-distance running are like two different sports with two totally different training regimens, and Bolt wouldn't really benefit from going the distance in his training.
"Power is a combination of strength and speed, and power is what’s important for a sprinter," Debora Warner, founder of the Mile High Run Club and a certified running coach, tells SELF. "Endurance doesn’t really play into that...[Bolt] wouldn’t necessarily benefit [from running a mile], and I think it could be potentially detrimental because as an Olympic athlete, 100 percent of his energy needs to go to [improving] what he’s doing."
Warner says sprinters, like Bolt, are usually more muscular than distance runners because they focus a lot on building strength, which helps provide the power they need. Distance runners, oppositely, tend to be lighter to lend to greater endurance. Unlike sprinters, mid- to long-distance runners will work both their anaerobic and aerobic systems in training so they can nail the push at the end of their races.
"Distance runners need to be able to sprint at the end of the race, so we have to work both systems," John Henwood, a Mile High Run Club coach and former Track & Field Olympian, tells SELF. "Sprinters don’t need to run slowly at the end of the race, so they just work the anaerobic system."
Bolt shared his workout with GQ in 2013, and it’s a whole lot of strength training in the gym—and that makes sense, strength helps with power. While Henwood isn’t a sprint coach specifically, he notes sprinters usually couple strength training with workouts on the track, too. So that may translate to Bolt running a mile’s worth of sprints in a week of practice, and he could even run that much in a day, depending on his training program. Until we see his full training routine we may just never know the exact details. Former professional sprinter Steven Benedict created a sprinter’s workout plan for Men’s Fitness, and the track portion included eight 200-meter sprints, a 250-meter sprint, and two 150-meter sprints, all adding up to well over a mile.
So, what would happen if Bolt tried to run a mile straight? Henwood suspects the fastest man in the world wouldn't break any records (the current fastest time is 3:43), since he isn't built for endurance and is carrying more weight—all that muscle!—than most mid-distance runners. And if he kicked off at sprinting speeds, his body would use the anaerobic energy system and he might start building up lactic acid in his muscles due to a lack of oxygen—those physical effects could slow him down. Still, he'd probably be faster than you.
"I would say he would crack maybe running a 4:40, 4:45 mile, but even then he’ll be feeling the lactic [acid] because he doesn’t work that [aerobic] system of his body," Henwood says.
Related:
- Watch An 8-Year-Old Personal Trainer Do Push-Ups And Race Against Usain Bolt
- Gymnast Simone Biles Stood Next To An Insanely Tall Volleyball Player, And The Photo Is Gold
- Here Are The Predictions For The 2016 Olympics Medal Count
Watch: Serena Williams Teaches Us How To Dance
Photo Credit: Julian Finney / Getty Images
