9.77 Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omurwa runs 5k - guess his time

Did he borrow your super shoes? He might have heard how you can do 20 minutes in them and said helI can beat that.

For a current 100m specialist, that's impressive.

18 minutes seems crazy to you? There are high school freshmen who run faster. You know sprinters do occasional distance runs of a few miles as part of their training - thats all it takes to run 18

* Most on this site may know how well high school 11.0 to 13.0 100m sprinters can race 5K.

* Many know on this site how well D2, D3 & NAIA guys in 10.4 to 12.4 100m range are able to race 5K.

* Some may know how well D1 10.1 to 10.4 guys are able to race 5K.

* Most on here have no idea how well sub-9.8 100m men are able to race 5K.

I am not surprised but I would like to know how well other sub-9.8 100m men are able to race 5K. I do know it takes some cardio fitness to be able to sprint F.A.T. sub-21 200m.

Thats not that fast, even for a sprinter. Everyone is just assuming that the faster the 100m the slower the 5k will be, and that that means his 9.77 correlates with like a 20+ minute 5k.

He is listed at 183 lbs so he is not a huge man. You wonder if he could run a 45 or faster 400m.

Short course?

Milkyio wrote:

He is listed at 183 lbs so he is not a huge man. You wonder if he could run a 45 or faster 400m.

I'm going to pencil F. Omanyala in for the following: F.A.T. 47.99 400m, 2:04.9 800m.

Kvothe wrote:

18 minutes seems crazy to you? There are high school freshmen who run faster. You know sprinters do occasional distance runs of a few miles as part of their training - thats all it takes to run 18

You and many people on this site don't realize that almost everyone who runs or comes to letsrun is in the top 10% talent pool for distance running.

I think a majority of the world's population would have a hard time breaking 19 even if they trained for it.

For comparisons sake, the winning average time for the girls xc winning team in Maryland this year was 20:36 and the couse is listed as 3 miles.

That's pretty good for a sub10 sprinter!

A world class 100m sprinter running an 18 minute 5k seems unlikely.

With the kind of sprint speed he has, it seems impossible he would have that kind of endurance

carmine9 wrote:

A world class 100m sprinter running an 18 minute 5k seems unlikely.

With the kind of sprint speed he has, it seems impossible he would have that kind of endurance

Based on what? For you to state sub-19 5K is unlikely, give us something.

* Tell us about your research as a PhD physiologist.

* Tell us about your F.A.T. sub-10.4 100m relatives or FA.T. sub-10.4 100m college teammates.

* Tell us about your experience as a D-1 head or assistant T&F coach.

Tell us why it is unlikely in your opinion. Give us some evidence for 18-something 5K to be unlikely.

IIRC, Flo Jo ran a 20-min 5k after she had retired.

Still, a 18-min 5k is darn impressive for a sprinter.

Kvothe wrote:

18 minutes seems crazy to you? There are high school freshmen who run faster. You know sprinters do occasional distance runs of a few miles as part of their training - thats all it takes to run 18

There is a big difference between an 11.5 H.S. sprinter who might actually have talent as a distance runner versus a 9.77 pure sprinter. It is very difficult to even get an elite level 100m sprinter to put in a serious effort in a 5k.

carmine9 wrote:

A world class 100m sprinter running an 18 minute 5k seems unlikely.

With the kind of sprint speed he has, it seems impossible he would have that kind of endurance

An 18 minute 5k is about the same IAAF points as a 27.0 200m or 13.2 100m.

I’m pretty sure almost any top male distance runner could hit those 100m or 200m times, so why shouldn’t a top sprinter be able to hit an equivalent distance time?

18 minutes, even if 18:59 is really impressive. Remember Bolt could only run around a 2:07 800 (598 iaaf points) at his peak, make a trend line with his 9.58 (1355 pts) and 45.28 400 (1160 pts) and you get well under 0 points, or 23 minutes ++ for 5K.

according to wiki, Omanyala is part of the Luhya tribe, not Kalenjin like most of the distance runners. There's a result for him here at the Expo 2020 run (held recently on 11/19/21) where he ran 23:39, 190th place:

https://results.sporthive.com/events/6867167413881296640/races/480404/bib/5180

this makes an 18:xx just 7 days later at the Dubai Run seem pretty unlikely, it seems like more of a mass-participation fun run without online results. any LRC sleuths want to get on this case...

IIRC Michael Johnson ran 5K in as low as 17 minutes, as part of early/preseason training.

rojo wrote:

Kvothe wrote:

18 minutes seems crazy to you? There are high school freshmen who run faster. You know sprinters do occasional distance runs of a few miles as part of their training - thats all it takes to run 18

You and many people on this site don't realize that almost everyone who runs or comes to letsrun is in the top 10% talent pool for distance running.

I think a majority of the world's population would have a hard time breaking 19 even if they trained for it.

For comparisons sake, the winning average time for the girls xc winning team in Maryland this year was 20:36 and the couse is listed as 3 miles.

Misleading a little but point taken. Its hard to get 5 decent gals at 90% of HSs. 20:36 on a very hard 3 mile course is not a bad average for the best 5 ladies who decided to go out for XC, at a random public school (ie randomly assigned school).

I agree though that18.x for this guy is pretty amazing to be honest. I remember BTE saying in some interview that they rarely run more than 200 or 400m at any one time. And those are multi athletes not 100m runners.

rojo wrote:

You and many people on this site don't realize that almost everyone who runs or comes to letsrun is in the top 10% talent pool for distance running.

That is an absurd statement without any backing. It seems that while there *are* quite a few very talented people who post here (many world class or former world-class) that most of us are ordinary wannabees. That said, most of us mere mortals feel honored that you feel that way!

'

I do believe that the Kenyan sprinter's time is to be respected even though it is ordinary for a high school XC novice. He is obviously very fit and given more specific training might show potential above his area of specialization. Many of us would like to see how he might do in an 800m.

I think we should consider his 5K a one-off effort and continue to admire his results in his specialty event.