Strategies For The 800 Meter Run

Coach Bill Peyton sat down with Khadevis Robinson to get his advice on running the 800m. Khadevis shared these tactics.

- Bill Peyton

LEAD FROM THE FRONT: This strategy is usually performed if the runner feels like they can win the race or feel confident in their ability. If a runner feels like he/ she can run the legs out from under the other runners, he may choose to run from the front. Another advantage is you get to dictate the pace. You are the person that gets to decide how slowly or fast the race will go. This way, you will have a grasp of what you can do from that pace.

You also have the advantage of running the shortest distance if you are able to stay in lane 1 the entire race. The disadvantage of leading is that you break the wind for the other runners. You do not know what they are doing behind you and they are able to pace off of you. My philosophy is that if you are going to be someone who leads; you should make sure that you at least practice bits of it in training. Johnny Gray, David Rudisha and Alysia Montano are runners that use this tactic.