Another week, another M60 WR: Nolan Shaheed goes 4:24 in 1500
Nolan Shaheed decided to run just one race at Saturday’s Southern California Striders Meet of Champions. He focused on the 15 after running two world records in the 800 the previous two weekends. Guess he picked right. Running with men 20 years younger in the late morning of a sunny day with temps rising to the high 80s, Nolan, 61, gutted a 4:24.00 for 1500 meters, dashing the listed M60 world record of 4:27.65 by New Zealand’s Ron Robertson in 2001. That’s equivalent to a 4:50 mile, or maybe better. (And the listed mile WR for his age group is 4:53.29.) So I guess he’s not done yet. Nolan got the word on the WR from USATF official Andy Hecker, who gets hugged below. A series of shots from his race are in this photo gallery — along with assorted other snaps from the meet. It was my season debut, and I was shocked to be running so fast — 13.99 and 29.11 in the 100 and 200. Which would barely have beaten Nolan’s final kick. But hey — we all take our treasures where we find them.
24 Responses
Way to fly, guy. I Do-the-Shuffle but yours is called the Shaheed Speed. Wonderful running, Nolan. Smartty
Sounds like Nolan Shaheed is the greatest runner in the history of the world, but let me try out some numbers first. Parenthetically, I am sure that someone like Andy Hecker knows how to do the conversion from 1500 to mile in a way that accounts for fatigue.
We can see that Nolan was running exactly 17.60 seconds per 100, or 35.20 per 200. We know that if he ran a full mile (1609.344 meters) at that pace he would do the mile in 4:43.24, which is off the charts.
We also know that fatigue comes into play in a big way, even though the mile is just 109.344 meters longer than the 1500. Bernard Lagat has the American outdoor record for 1500 of 3:29.30, and Alan Webb holds the record for the mile at 3:46.91.
If we multiply Bernard’s 1500 time by 1.0841 we get 3:46.90, just .01 below Alan’s mark.
If we multiply Nolan Shaheed’s 1500 time of 4:24.00 by 1.0841 we get 4:46.20. Thus, I conclude again that Nolan Shaheed is the greatest runner in the history of the world. As noted, I think that someone else, probably Andy Hecker, knows the right way to convert, but the method must be based on many assumptions and cannot be considered perfect.
I will say that Nolan Shaheed ran the equivalent of a mile in just over 4:46 this weekend at age 61.
On further consideration, I will say that Nolan ran the equivalent of a mile in 4:45+, not low 4:46s, because I think that Lagat’s mark is superior to Webb’s, and thus the American mile record should actually be somewhat faster than 3:46.91, Webb’s remarkable time notwithstanding.
PT
The ratio of El Gherrouj’s Mile to 1500 m world records is 1.083155 which when applied to 4:24 gives 4:45.95. Nolan, now we know why you do this!
! Patrick Haines
Awesome race again Nolan!
Unstoppable!! AMAZING!!
I am now picking up the lower half of my jaw off the floor…
In support of Peter’s estimates: When 3 age groups younger than Nolan is now, I ran exactly 4:46.xx for 1 mile and 4:24.xx for 1500 in the same year off of similar fitness…with indeed a lot of fatigue finishing the 1500.
Contrats to the otherworldly Nolan!
A friend and I were able to video his race and his celebratory lap jog afterward. Also, I was able to run in the race with him. I have run with Nolan on a number of occasions, and I have not met a nicer, humbler, and more down-to-earth elite runner. Nolan is the perfect example of whom I aspire to be. And, I am not just saying that I want to be fast like him. I admire his noble character and considerateness for all who are involved in track and field: spectators, slow runners, and fast runners. He treats everyone with equal respect and care. I wish the whole world could be like Nolan. Anyway, here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0E63jtAkMY
Outstanding performance and inspirational
WOW!
1.08139x gives a mile of 3:45.49 This factor follows from http://home.xmsnet.nl/weiatletiek/OmrekentijdenEng.html
Lots of Masters Meet of Champions 4/30/11 posted on my site http://www.davepeetersphoto.com Several other Masters meet photos there too, Brenda Steele-Matthews of the Striders asked me to shoot the event
Normal – Good – Better – Super – Hyper – Nolan Shaheed
According to the age calculator sanctioned by WMA the result 4:24 on 1500m for a 61 years old male is equivalent to 4:38.5 on the mile.
This means that to get an “equivalent” time for the mile You have to run the extra 109 meters a lot faster than the first 1500m.
http://www.howardgrubb.co.uk/athletics/wmalookup06.html
The time I gave of course starts with 4: …
Thank you, Weia. I did think you meant 3:45.49 and were talking about the open equivalent. So, we have the following after throwing out the 4:38.5, which would be nonsensical (as Henry K. indicates) because you would have to run the final 109.344 meters in just 14.5 seconds, a pace of 53.0 seconds for 400.
4:45+ (my reconsidered position)
4:45.95 (from the calculation of Patrick Haines)
4:46.xx (from Dave Albo’s personal experience)
4:45.49 from Weia R.
We are very close, and I conclude that Nolan Shaheed is beyond excellent; he is otherworldly.
You add 16 to 18 seconds for a 1500m to mile conversion, so even if you error on the conservative side he can run or did run the 4:42.00
Wow!
That’s All-American Status… for a 40 year old
Sorry to disagree with you, Mark, but you don’t add 16 to 18 seconds for the conversion. In Nolan’s case you add 21 to 22.5 seconds.
i’ve always used the following conversion:
convert your 1500 time to seconds, multiply by 8%, then add it on to get a fairly accurate mile time.
as an example:
current WR is 3:26…adding 8 percent equals a 3:42.48. WR for a full mile is 3:43.
my 1500 pr as a 16-year-old was 3:58.5…if you add 8%, you would get a 4:17.6. My PR for the full mile that year was actually a 4:17.8.
my 1500 pr as a 17-year-old was a 3:50.8…same conversion would get me 4:09.3. My PR for the mile that year was 4:10.5 (indoors).
3:42 1500 equals a 3:59.8 mile (sub-4) using the same conversion.
4:37 1500 equals a 4:59.2 (sub-5) mile using the same conversion.
Rich Burns ran 4:17.8 for his first WR last year. Then he ran a 4:36.94 for a full mile. So, how does this conversion stand up to the test? 8% gives Rich a 4:38.4. I’m sure Rich is glad he ran his mile versus using the 8-percent rule, but 1.5 is pretty close. I know that Rich was probably in better shape in June when he ran his mile compared to his early 1500 mark that was run in March.
For Nolan, using the same 8-percent add-on, his time would be show a 24.3-second addition and give him a 4:48.3 for a full mile. I know that’s really very conservative, but I think that would be the very slowest Nolan would run. I think he’s good for a 4:44. Now go after, Nolan! What’s another World Record…?
I think that Nolan will settle all of this with his feet when he decides that he wants to set the mile world record. I saw him set the1500 record and I believe that he will just be stronger as the season progresses.
Wow…great run!!!
Track & Field News converts Nolan’s 1500 mark to 4:45.1 for the full mile.
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