REF-769 · Sandford et al., 2018 · Sports Medicine, Vol. · Paper · PubMed

Maximal Sprint Speed and the Anaerobic Speed Reserve Domain: The Untapped Tools that Differentiate the World's Best Male 800 m Runners

C+thin evidenceMeasured on world-class athletesWritten before October 2026, being re-checked

The authors argue that the modern men's 800 m demands more speed than earlier eras, that 800 m runners fall into subgroups (400-800, 800, 800-1500 m), and that coach education has emphasised aerobic conditioning while neglecting a neuromuscular and mechanical component.

Many runners may therefore lack the "mechanical competence" to run race pace in a relaxed way, which limits their ability to cope with surges, run faster first laps or close fast. They propose the anaerobic speed reserve, the difference between velocity at VO2max and maximal sprint speed, as a framework for measuring a runner's speed range against modern race demands.

Participants

No participants: opinion/narrative review. The abstract presents no data.

Protocol

Argument built from the literature on 800 m race demands, athlete subgroups and running mechanics. No systematic search is described.

Key Results

Modern men's 800 m runners need speed beyond that of previous eras (the authors' reading of recent evidence).
Subgroups: 400-800, 800 and 800-1500 m runners, reflecting an interplay of mechanical (aerial or terrestrial) and physiological characteristics.
Mechanical competence is defined as the skilled coordination of neuromuscular/mechanical (stride length/frequency/impulse) and metabolic components needed to sustain race pace and adjust to surges efficiently.
ASR = maximal sprint speed minus the velocity at VO2max (the first speed at which VO2max is attained).
Little empirical evidence supports the common assumption that the smooth, relaxed technique of middle-distance runners causes their running economy.
The authors argue for measuring ASR and MSS so that 800 m runners have the skills for race-defining surges.

Practical Application

"Does an 800 m runner need sprint speed?" — this opinion review (no new data) argues yes: the modern men's 800 m is decided by surges, fast first laps and fast finishes, many runners may lack the mechanical competence to run race pace relaxed, and maximal sprint speed and the anaerobic speed reserve (MSS minus vVO2max) should be measured alongside aerobic markers.
Inference, not tested here: profile before prescribing. An 800 m runner with a small reserve (MSS close to vVO2max) and one with a large reserve are different athletes even with the same 800 m time; REF-768 gives the type continuum used by elite coaches.
Inference, not tested here: for a runner with a small reserve, maximal-speed work (short flying sprints on full recovery) is the missing piece; for a runner with a large reserve, the aerobic side is.
The authors themselves note that the link between a smooth technique and running economy is largely assumed; do not coach "relaxed form" as a proven economy tool.

Limitations

Opinion/narrative piece; the abstract presents no measurements, so no ASR values or thresholds can be quoted from this entry.
Framed on elite men; applicability to women and to non-elite runners is not addressed.
It argues for measuring ASR; it does not show that training to change ASR improves 800 m performance.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

narrative argument without systematic method