800 X

The Easiest and Most Helpful Fitness Test in the World

More Reasons 800 X Works

• It can be approached from a sprinting perspective, as well as an endurance perspective.

• It can be done on a track, in a parking lot, on a trail, uphill, downhill, or on a grass field.

• It doesn’t require a fleet of volunteer road guards.

• Because it can be done just about anywhere, the prerequisite $25-$60 fees that are commonplace with your local 5K runs are unnecessary. Families and people who have better places to spend their money can do 800 meter runs for FREE!

• It can be run hard 25-50 times per year for most community-level athletes.

• You do not have to wait 30 minutes - between the top finishers and the grandparents who are pushing their grandkids in a stroller - to finish.

• The 800 meter run is relevant and helpful for basketball players, runners, soccer players, CrossFit athletes, hikers, kids, old folks, and a whole lot of other people.

• You can cheer for one another on a tight racing circuit (4 laps around a parking lot, for example) that brings together your community.

• Finally, a person who has done the work to get a GREAT 800 meter time, is also capable of a good 5K time. The person is an all-around athlete!

Training for the 800 Meter Run

You can approach your training from many different angles, which makes it such a great event for society. You do not need to run high miles - in fact, you can successfully complete your 800 meter training in a gym. However, you can also excel by running high miles.

We have an 800 meter training plan for track athletes, but you can definitely scale it back if you prefer to lift weights more, or do more sprints to become a better athlete for your sport. Bottom line - just become a better athlete and your 800 X time will get faster.

• I always enjoy working with a few naive high school runners. They’ll say, “My sport is basketball, not track - I don’t need to be fast in the 400 or 800.” I laugh and say, “How fast do you think Russell Westbrook could run a 400 or 800 if he trained specifically for the 800 meter event for 8 weeks - my guess is 48 seconds and 1:56 respectively. He is a GREAT athlete who would probably excel in track as well. Many NBA forwards and centers, along with almost all soccer players, all elite CrossFit athletes, Ninja Warriors, MMA fighters, and football wide receivers - can probably run a very high quality 800 meter run.

  
  

• Did you know the sport of track does not exist in the Olympics? It is actually called, “Athletics.” Please think about that for a moment. Track is for ATHLETES - PERIOD!

CTC 800 X Scoring Tables

Please comply with our Safety Recommendations before you partake in any training or races.

Really Simple and Inexpensive: Measure out an 800 meter course - 2,624 feet (2 laps around a standard high school track, for example). You can find an empty parking lot as well and run several laps to reach 800 meters. You can run around your block. Yo can run on a dirt trail. You really don't need much space to build your personal course. I was able to do it in my apartment complex parking lot in Washington, DC: 400 meters out, turn around, and 400 meters back - weekly time trial.

Keep the course simple, consistent, and safe. Test yourself monthly and progress along in our scoring system - 100 points is the max for each age group.

Note: Women are normally about 15 seconds slower than men in this event. If you prefer, you can allow a 15 second bonus for female participants.

If you can score close to 100, you are likely VERY fit and competitive in your sport of choice. Bring a dozen friends to join you. You should easily be able to build a course that avoids red lights and crossing intersections / traffic areas.

Click here for the CTC Scoring Tables. Train hard, reach your best time, and proudly wear your stylish Colorado Track Club 800 X Nike running t-shirt. Enjoy!

Course Safety / Advice

Here are some tips to help reduce the likelihood of injuries, as well as the likelihood of angering others if you are allowing several people to participate:

1) Set up a course where traffic is unlikely to enter the area - post a road guard if you do have a spot where traffic could be a problem.

2) If you make the group or event too large you will likely need to get your city / town involved. I recommend keeping it simple.

3) People will be running FAST - run the event in several sections if you have a lot of people. Otherwise, runners will trip on each other or fail to see a pothole or other tripping hazards.

4) Explain to people that it is dangerous to run too closely to someone else - tripping on each other, twisting an ankle in a hole, etc.. Point out bumps in the road or other hazards before the race starts.

5) Run 20 people at a time - max - if you add slow people to the back of the pack. Be careful having 20 fast people together - increases the chance of tripping over each other.

6) If you run on a grass loop you may wear through the grass and frustrate the grounds staff at your local school (because you will create a trail).

7) I prefer a mild downhill grade - especially with new runners. It will make it easier for them. It’s also fun for HS runners to be able to run faster than on a track.

8) Start at the beginning of the strait-a-way on the track. That will give the runners 100 meters to spread out a little bit before the first turn.