Compare yourself to Usian Bolt
It started from a twitter post from beebo_wallace:“So I’ve decided that I am going to go to the local running track, mark off 200 meters and then compare my results to Bolt’s 19.30 #Olympics about 24 hours ago from web “
Then I suggested we turn it into a twitter event, the twitter 200m.
I think we all realise how extraordinary Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.30 for the 200m is, but we are going to bring this remarkable speed into perspective by running the distances ourselves.
How fast will it take an average person to run 200 meters?
The beauty of the undertaking is it doesn’t require any training. Anybody of sound body should be able to run at least 200m. Just find a local running track, and run half a lap*
Record your time with a stopwatch and share it with me. I’ll post the results of anyone who wishes to make their results public. This is not really a race amongst us; this is a race against one of the most accomplished sprinters of our time. For most of us, the time will likely be at least TWICE what Bolt required to cover the distance.
I am going to do the distance twice.
- The first time, I will run the 200 meters as fast as I can, and time my run.
- The second time, I am going to stop when 19.3 seconds has been reached, so I can see how far behind I’d have been had I shared the track with Mr. Bolt.
I’ll be at the Belk track on the UNC campus Friday at 9:00AM, why not meet me there?
*Many middle school and some high school tracks are still marked in yards and not meters. However, the difference between 220 yards (half an English units track) and 200 meters is small, so don’t worry which distance your local track is calibrated in.