I believe everyone physically able to should try running 13.1 mph on a treadmill just to get an understanding of just how fast these athletes run for two hours. It is incredible.
I think up to 15 or 18 mph is pretty easy pace for anyone who even road bikes once a week.
The vast vast majority of cross country runners in high school can't maintain that pace for 3.1 miles / 5 km. How a human maintains it for 26.2 I have no idea.
Another perspective: the world record 1 mile time, which is essentially a 4 lap sprint, is 3:43.13. So these athletes run at 81% world record mile pace for 26 miles.
At that pace, I wouldn’t be able to run even a single kilometer even in my peak shape. Could probably manage a lap around the track.
Your mileage seems a little low ;)
Top marathon runners average faster than five minute miles. That's sickeningly fast.
Back in high school my fastest single 1600m (a mile is 1609m, but one lap on a track is 400m) time was around a 5:15, and my fastest 800m was 2:27.
These elite marathon runners basically took my fastest 800m pace and repeated it 50 times.
Insane.
Agree on the incredible part. I have seen elites race in person at the 2008 Olympic trials and it is unreal how smooth and fast they are.
A whole bunch of treadmills don't go past 8MPH and even that seems pretty fast to me to run at for an extended period of time.
But I’ve been on a treadmill less than a half dozen times in my life, so what do the treadmill makers care what I think. :-)
Although you're right that it would be a piss-poor treadmill if it were built to max out at 8 minutes/mile pace or slower. I suspect none are, but I think the fellow reporting it was at heavy weight, so perhaps that affected things.
For most people that's a worthwhile tradeoff.
I see some going up to 18 mph, but they are a bit pricey :) Woodway is a popular brand for rich runners...
Another try is going to a track and running 100m in 17s.