The maximum speed achieved by a person while running. Human running speed (record, maximum, average)
Running is an integral part of the training process for athletes, an important component of exercise for fans of fitness and wellness, a necessary element for recovery from a number of illnesses, and simply a pleasant pastime for people accustomed to an active lifestyle. But in each of these cases, the person’s running speed is different. An athlete needs to reach its limit in order to show the best time in a race, have an advantage in the game or ensure a greater jump distance. More often than not, this type of training is a way to maintain physical fitness, and here records are not the goal. This is especially true for those who jog after illness.
Beginners, amateurs and athletes: sometimes a step faster
The average speed of movement when walking is 5 km in 1 hour. Athletes walkers walk much faster: 15 km/h for men and 14 for women. But they have a special technique that ordinary people do not use when walking. And even their jogging will be slower.
Naturally, with a shorter distance, the average running speed of a person, whether a beginner or a renowned sprinter, will be higher. If you take the classic 100-meter race, then an untrained beginner, giving his all, will run it in 14 - 16 seconds. Therefore, the average speed of a person when running along a distance: 25.7 – 22.5 km/h.
An unprepared amateur, having entered the track and field and given all his strength, will still not be able to show the result that his body is capable of. At the same time, he will also “pay” for his diligence with muscle pain. It’s fine if that’s the case, but it can also harm your heart! Only after training, which will ensure the necessary increase in muscle mass, adaptation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to the increased consumption of oxygen by muscle tissue, will the athlete noticeably improve his performance on the track within a month or two.
I have already described in detail what speed qualities and what results in running should be shown by athletes of different levels in the article ““. So you can evaluate your level using the tables from the article.
Average and maximum indicators
It should be understood that there is a concept of average speed when running and maximum. For track and field athletes, it differs at different parts of the distance. During the section of the path after the start, it is small: the athlete is just accelerating. And its peak is reached either closer to the finish (if it was a 60, 100 or 200-meter start), or towards the middle, if it’s a four-hundred-meter race (even a professional cannot run at the limit of all four hundred meters). At medium and long distances, the tactics of stayers can be different: powerful acceleration at the beginning, jerks along the way in the middle, a stormy finishing spurt, or all these elements combined.
The average speed of a person when jogging is 9 km/h. The body adapts perfectly to a measured, not too burdensome load and is able to maintain muscle work for a fairly long time.
The most frisky on the track
If we talk about a person’s maximum speed in km/h, then we should look at the finish lists of track and field sprinters.
Fleet-footed Usain Bolt
The record belongs to a Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt, which he established during the international athletics competition in Berlin (2009), running 100 m in 9.58 seconds. In the last quarter of the distance, he was as fast as the wind: the instruments showed a figure of 44.7 (the average result for the entire hundred-meter race was 37.58 km/h). This is the fastest human running speed today.
At the Olympics in Brazil, he became the champion for the third time, but with a worse result - 9.81 s. The second fastest on the planet was the American Gatlin (9.89s), and the third was de Grasse from Canada (9.91s)
It is difficult to say when and who will be able to surpass Usain's running speed record. There is an opinion that people have already reached the maximum of their physical capabilities and further improvement is possible only with the use of doping. Looking at the progress since the first officially recorded best in the 100m track and field event, it is 2.42 seconds in 113 years. First record holder Thomas Burke ran 100 meters in 12 seconds in 1896. But here it should be taken into account that the recording of time then was not as accurate as it is now.
Still the same Usain Bolt belongs to the best time on the planet in the athletics discipline of 200 m - 19.19 seconds. Here his average over the entire distance was 37.52 km/h, which is even a little faster than at one hundred meters. This is explained by the fact that W. Bolt is a tall and large man; it takes distance and time to disperse such a mass.
When endurance is needed, not just speed
Longer distances allow you to reach maximum speed already in the middle of the journey, but it is impossible to maintain it until the finish line. Therefore, in 400-meter races the average speed is lower. So, the representative of South Africa Weide Van Niekerk it was 33.5 km/h, while he became the winner with world and Olympic records, his time was 43.03 s.
Maintaining a fast pace for 800 meters is even more difficult. At major athletics competitions, the discipline is already included in the short-medium category, although some consider it a long sprint. Probably a hardy African from Kenya, David Rushida, the world record holder (1:40.91), it really doesn’t seem that long. He became an Olympic champion at two games in a row: in London and Rio de Janeiro. But if you look at the average speed a person develops when running 800 meters, it is significantly lower than that of sprinters: 28.5 km/h. The athletes run faster for the first half of the journey, then they slow down and, 150 meters before the finish, if they have any strength left, they speed up.
Not everyone can
Success in the marathon, on the contrary, lies in the rhythm of movements. It is impossible for an unprepared man or woman to run such a distance, since the body is running out of reserves, and the transition to using fat takes time. Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) occurs, accompanied by loss of strength and other unpleasant sensations. In the worst case scenario, hypoglycemic coma and death may occur. Marathon runners train according to a special schedule, and the day before the race they traditionally eat a large portion of pasta to increase glycogen stores in the body. It will serve as a reservoir of energy for the muscles.
Today the world championship belongs to Dennis Kimetto from Kenya, who ran the Berlin Marathon in 2014 in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 56 seconds. It turns out that he ran this distance at about 20.6 km/h. An ordinary person can only run that fast for a couple of laps around the stadium.
Marathon for lovers
Recently, the half marathon has been gaining popularity - running at speed along the highway for 21,000 m. Almost anyone can run this mileage. To do this you need to train for at least a month. Therefore, this type is very popular, although it is not an Olympic discipline. Africans are also the fastest here: Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea (time 58 minutes 23 seconds), who won in Portugal in 2010 and Samuel Wanjiru from Kenya (58 minutes 33 seconds), who won in 2007 in the Netherlands. They maintained a speed of movement over a distance of approximately 24 km/h.
Tempo, what is it?
There is such a thing as running pace. It indicates how long it takes a person to cover a certain distance. This indicator is convenient to use when training, choosing how long it takes to cover a given distance in order to achieve the desired effect: lose weight, improve endurance, train the heart, etc. For example, the pace for training the heart muscle and fat oxidation can vary among people of different sizes and fitness from 5:30 to 7:00 minutes/km. For cross-country, a pace of around 5:00 min/km is suitable. But all indicators are individual, since people are all different.
Records among the world's best athletes
From all of the above, we can make a top list of athletes who were able to set a human running speed record. The top positions in it will be occupied by the following runners:
- Usain Bolt(Jamaica): 11-time world champion, unsurpassed by anyone so far in the 100 and 200 meter events.
- Dennis Kimetto(Kenya): became the world's strongest at the Berlin Marathon on September 28, 2014.
- Paula Radcliffe(Great Britain): in 2002 she was named the best female athlete in the world. She still holds the record set in 2003 at the London Marathon (2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds).
Among the football players there are also many players who could compete with the best sprinters. The fastest of them is Antonio Valencia from Manchester United. This man's fastest running speed on the field is 35.1 km/h. Winger Gareth Bale of Real Madrid is distinguished by his ability to make quick bursts, accelerating in a matter of seconds. His teammate Cristiano Ronaldo can move around the field just as powerfully, with a recorded speed of 33.6 km/h.
How fast should beginners run to lose weight?
To lose weight, the choice of pace should be individual. It is impossible to give an exact figure for how many meters per second you need to run in order to lose weight. It is important to start gradually, with 20-minute workouts, while monitoring your pulse and breathing.
You can find out more about ways to lose weight through running and more! Sometimes even the speed of jogging is too high, and you can do it not immediately, but after intense walking. It all depends on individual characteristics. You should always remember that thanks to determination and systematic exercise, you can achieve great success by becoming slim and healthy. And running can become not just a way to achieve this goal, but a daily necessity that brings pleasure and a good mood.
Let's start with the average numbers obtained by analyzing statistical data and based on running standards. There are four main speeds here.
44 km/h
- the maximum possible running speed of a person, a speed record.
30 km/h
- the average running speed of a trained person over a short distance (100m - 400m).
20 km/h
- the average running speed of a trained person over an average distance (800m - 3km).
16 km/h
- the average running speed of a trained person over a long distance (10km - 42km).
Comment:
All conclusions were made for men; for women, speed indicators will be lower.
Table of running speeds at various distances, depending on the category of the athlete
Distance | 3rd category, speed (km/h) |
1 category, speed (km/h) |
MSMK, speed (km/h) |
100m | 29 | 32,4 | 34,8 |
400m | 25 | 27,8 | 31,4 |
1000m | 20 | 23,2 | 26 |
3km | 17,4 | 20,2 | 22,9 |
10km | 16 | 18,5 | 21,2 |
21.1km | 15,6 | 17,7 | 20,3 |
42.2 km | - | 16,1 | 19 |
Addition #1:
It should be noted here that these numbers do not mean the average running speed of a person, but the average maximum speed. That is, under normal training conditions, athletes run 10-30% slower than their maximum speed (depending on the type of training). Namely, it is this very maximum running speed that we take into account in the diagram built on the basis of sports running standards.
Addition #2:
The second point concerns short sprint distances (100m - 400m). The important point here is that the maximum speed is gained gradually. If we take the 100-meter dash, the record holders will run the first 10-meter segment in 1.83 seconds, which is only 19.6 km/h. The second segment (10m-20m) is already in 1.03s - and this is already 35.1 km/h. Around the fifth to seventh segments (50m-70m), record holders reach their maximum running speed.
Some conclusions from the table with diagram:
1. 44km/h- the fastest running speed recorded to date. The holder of this record is Usain Bolt - in 2009 he ran a hundred meters in 9.58 seconds (average 37 km/h, and he reached a peak speed of 43.9 km/h by the 60-70th meter). And this is running in ideal conditions, and over a very short distance.
2. Even elite athletes are unable to run faster than 44km/h.
3. The vast majority of trained people are able to run at speed. 20km/h, but not more than one kilometer.
4. The average speed of a trained person in long-distance running (10km, 21km, 42km) will be about 15-18km/h. Elite athletes run faster: 19-21km/h.
Running has been and remains the main discipline of human physical education. But at what speed a person runs cannot be stated with certainty. There are many conventions that must be taken into account in one case or another. For example, recreational running (jogging) or training; whether an ordinary average person runs without special training or an athlete; man, woman or child; if this is a trained runner, what distance is his running designed for, and so on. The average speed of each category will vary significantly.
The maximum speed of athletes' races.
The fastest man in the world, Usey Bolt, set a record for sprinting, running a hundred meters at a speed 44.7 km/h.
When it comes to the maximum running speed of athletes, it is necessary to take into account, in addition to the gender of the runner, the distance over which he runs. In sports, running is divided into the following distances:
- Short distance running (sprint).
- Long distance running (marathon).
The speed of races between sprinters and marathon runners is significantly different. Many people unfamiliar with the sport believe that the longer the distance, the faster the running. This concept is fundamentally wrong. A sprinter gives his all during a short run. He immediately makes a dash to get ahead and win. A marathon runner must distribute his strength over the entire length of the distance and can make a jerk only at the end of the race. Therefore, the speed at sprint distances is much higher than at marathon distances and is approximately 40-42 km/h. And this is not the limit.
Running speed ranks from maximum |
|||
Distance |
3rd digit speed (km/h) |
1 digit speed (km/h) |
MSMC (km/h) |
21.1 km | |||
Maximum physical exertion quickly exhausts the body of a marathon runner. If he immediately makes a jerk during a long-distance race, he may not reach the finish line at all. Therefore, marathon runners have to calculate their strength and run much slower than sprinters. In this regard, we cannot talk about maximum speed here. At marathon distances, athletes with the first category in running show an average speed of approximately 34 - 38 km/h. at distances from 1000 to 5000m; 18 – 20 km/h at 10,000m and for a 42.2 km race – 15.5 – 16.5 km/h. Masters of sports at such distances show speeds 2-3 km higher.
If you decide to take up a running sport, regardless of whether you are prepared or not, the activities will be of a recreational or sports nature, first talk to your doctor, who will tell you what kind of running you should do. But in any case - run, from a heart attack, from colds and just for fun, to feel stronger, healthier and faster and you will definitely set your personal record!
Jogging speed.
Mostly ordinary people without special training engage in recreational running. For them, the main thing is not achieving some results, winning competitions, but taking care of their health. Jogging is a slow run that minimizes the work of the musculoskeletal system and the risk of injury. Athletes also do the same running during training during rehabilitation after injuries, as well as during physical exercise. The speed when jogging is approximately 6-10 km/h and does not differ much between men and women.
The average running speed of an ordinary person.
When identifying an ordinary untrained person, the following circumstances must be taken into account:
- Child's running speed.
- Running speed of an adult man.
- Woman's running speed.
If we are talking about a child running, then in this case there is no need to take into account who is running - a boy or a girl, since their speed is almost the same and is approximately 8 - 10 km/h. This is due to the fact that children, regardless of their gender, have the same development of the muscular system of the musculoskeletal system. They also have the same amount of lactic acid and pulse rate after exercise.
If we are talking about an adult running, then the average speed will be slightly different. This is due to the fact that females have a subcutaneous fat ratio that is 10% higher than that of males, which makes it significantly more difficult for the weaker half of humanity to increase their speed. In addition, there is a difference in the development of elastic and soft muscles. Thus, a woman’s running speed is 11–14 km/h, a man’s is 15–20 km/h. You can more accurately determine the speed at which a person runs at a distance of 100 m. Of course, not everyone is able to run it. Elderly people or those who are overweight or have some kind of disease will run it more slowly than an ordinary healthy person, whose speed will be 14-16 seconds for women and 12-15 seconds. in men. But this indicator is not unambiguous. If an ordinary untrained person runs every day, his result may improve first by hundredths of a second, and then by tenths. Of course, at the beginning the leg muscles will hurt, but if you train constantly, the pain will go away, and the speed of the race will increase every month. But at the same time, you need to monitor not only your speed, but also how you feel during the run and after it. Even if you feel slightly unwell, you should consult a doctor who will recommend you one or another jogging system.
The average speed of a person when walking and running differs tenfold. Each person is individual, the width of the step varies, and this changes the average speed. We won’t be able to sum up the average speed between running and walking, so let’s look at them separately.
If we look at problems at school and read information from trusted sources, then we will take 5 kilometers per hour as the average pedestrian speed as a unit. In the next hour, the pedestrian will walk less. If we take the example of a grandfather or a child, then his speed will be from 2 kilometers per hour. The speed can change due to the acceleration of the step; if you are in a hurry to work, then your speed will increase; if you are on a walk, then your average speed will be much lower. Step length has a direct role in average speed. The larger the step, the greater the speed. Walking, like running, is an excellent physical activity. If you decide to lose weight or improve your health, then your average speed should be at least 5 km/h, and reach 7 - 8 km/h. This speed is considered a fast walk. Running starts from 9 km/h. It is better to measure the average speed of a person when walking in steps. Buy yourself a pedometer, stick it in a convenient place and take it with you when you go for a walk.
graph of average human speed depending on age
Average running speed
It is almost impossible to single out one average speed when running. Speed can increase tenfold as you increase your running pace. A record was recorded for the speed of an athlete in the 100-meter dash of 37 km/h. Athletics athletes can reach their speed up to 20 km/h, but the speed will decrease during the second hour. People jogging usually reach an average speed of up to 15 km per hour. There is a theory that a person can reach speeds of up to 65 km/h when running. But this remains only a theory. A person at such a speed will suffer from acute lack of air, and the body will experience very strong physical stress. No one has yet been able to accelerate to such a speed.
We all understand that there can be no recommendations for the average speed of a person when walking and running. Each person makes a different journey in a different time. Step length and tempo ultimately affect speed. Determine what result you want. If you are interested in recreational walking, your speed should exceed 5 km/hour. If you're just out for a walk, your average speed can be anything. Running differs in pace, the faster you are, the greater the speed. Don't rush to set records for average human speed when running and walking. Check your physical endurance and health. Walk and run as you please. Your speed matters only to you, the rest of the world is busy with itself.
Correct jogging technique minimizes the possibility of injury, and the benefits of exercise are undeniable: they increase the body’s defenses, train the joint-ligamentous apparatus, and reduce the effects of stress.
But for effective training while running It is important to maintain the correct speed.
What is jogging
Jogging or jogging - moving at speed 7-9 km/h, a little faster than when walking. This technique differs from tempo running: the flight phase is a little shorter here. While one leg is pushing off the ground, the other is already lowering to the ground. The runner’s step is small, not expanded.
Photo 1. Movement pattern when running: the flight and landing phases constantly alternate.
Due to the low pace, the load on the joints of the lower extremities is reduced, which means the risk of injury is also reduced: inflammation of the periosteum and pain in the knee joints. During this training all muscles of the body are involved, including cardiac.
Important! Running training requires more effort compared to jogging. Tempo runners constantly raising the bar for themselves, measure time, increase distances, break their own records, and also compete in competitions and marathons. Speed such an athlete can significantly exceed 10 km/h.
The effect we get by practicing jogging is a slim silhouette and strengthening of the immune system. During training An average of 400-500 kcal is burned.
The benefits of running are: strong, muscular body and strengthening of the cardiovascular system. But this is the next stage of training.
How many kilometers per hour is the average speed?
To calculate your average jogging speed, scientists from the American University of Iowa, observed a large group of people jogging. The running speed was different, as was the intensity of the exercise.
It was found that running speed did not have much effect on the benefits of running to a person. Everyone received a positive effect. Thus, the correct answer to the question of what speed should be when jogging is different for everyone.
This is influenced by many factors:
- degree of physical fitness person;
- pulse value while running;
- breath;
- emotional condition.
The speed and time of training will also increase as the number of sessions increases.
Reference. Beginners (especially those who are not used to regular physical activity) should first accustom their body to starting with a 15-20 minute run. It can also be alternated with fast walking.
Every week distance and training time increase by 10%. If you can run for half an hour without running out of energy or losing your breath, then you are in shape. At this stage, you can already adhere to a regular schedule: 30 minutes every other day. Trained runners jogging at least 40 minutes, but with mandatory every 1-2 days to avoid excessive stress on muscles and joints.
How to control the pace
Jogging involves low-intensity training, but still produces a positive effect.
Too low a load will not allow the heart muscle to fully pump blood, saturating the body with oxygen and nutrients. There will also be no acceleration of metabolic processes, which many runners strive for. What to focus on?
Pulse. Try to control your run based on your heart rate.
Since jogging is a recreational exercise, the recommended heart rate is range 120-140 beats per minute. In an untrained person, even slow running causes such a heart rate, while at the athlete a light run will only speed up your heart up to 105-110 beats/min. Judging by the statistics, at 50 years old 140 beats per minute is achieved by the same load that in people 20-25 years old causes heart palpitations up to 120 beats per minute.
145-165 beats- already a training frequency. This rhythm is suitable for those who seek to develop endurance, and only after preparing the body with lower loads. At this frequency, adaptation of the body already begins, as the aerobic threshold is exceeded.
Breath. You can also tell if the speed is correct by looking at your breathing. It is believed that if while running a person can carry on a conversation without losing breath, then everything is in order. That is, a person pronounces full sentences, rather than briefly answering “yes”/“no” questions. On the other hand, when running at this pace, it must be difficult to sing while stretching out the notes. If a person can sing easily - it's time to increase the tempo.
To determine the excess speed, you can try run at the limit of your strength for several minutes. Very soon your breathing will become faster and its rhythm will be disrupted. It is important to try to maintain an average running speed so that your breathing is even.
What factors affect speed?
How the training is carried out largely depends on from the psycho-emotional state. Many people know this feeling when they want to skip a run. Most likely, the average speed of a person jogging in this case will be low.
But you should still try not to give up training. And to increase speed you can try using The most legal sports doping is music. Scientists have found that when exercising on a treadmill while listening to music, your enjoyment of exercise increases and your running speed increases. It is not recommended to be distracted by correspondence or conversations during class.