Don't misquote me. The "Sincerely," part denotes my sarcasm. I'm not blind.

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But the specificity is extremely different. A huge part of skiing is isometric-ish contractions. I.e., in a 400m, count the number of steps taken. Now compare that to the actual number of distinct contractions in a skiing event, even like slalom. It's not the same.

Skiing is also seriously quad-dominant. Running - especially something "longer" like the 400m - is going to be predominately hamstring dominant. I would think that Vonn would do best where "out of the blocks" type motion - even something like 60m, which is run indoors - is way more her style.

it's not a knock at all at her athleticism. But I'd wager pretty strongly that if you hooked up an EMG to a WC skier and hook one up to even a HS track 400m runner, that you wouldn't see ANY sort of similarity in terms of muscle engagement.

Skiing is explosive in a VERY different way than running is explosive. It's just illogical. It'd be like assuming that Fabian Cancellara could run a 52sec 400m because he bikes really fast and biking is an aerobic, leg-dominant sport. It just doesn't make ANY sense.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Perhaps she is using a ST calibrated timing device. A 52 second 400m would translate to approx a 60 sec 400m in real world time if that were the case.

Her ability to estimate results implies a fine future as a triathlete.

Agreed, but from what I can tell (you know, from watching TV and stuff), top level ski racers do a ridiculous amount of cross training including plenty of aerobic work, and strength work on all the muscle chains...running, cycling, stairs, box jumps, deadlifts, lunges etc...up the wazoo. Bike racers can get away with relatively overdeveloped quads and constrained range of motion (and then cripple themselves en masse running through an airport to catch a plane - per Davis Phinney if I recall the anecdote correctly), presumably because the bike supports their weight so much of the time.

I'm not saying she could actually run :52 or even close to it - but based on what they supposedly do in and out of season, I think skiers _at her level_ are pretty well rounded and do not necessarily have weak hamstrings or underdeveloped aerobic capacity relative to their genetic potential. Same with speed skaters though maybe to a somewhat lesser extent. Yes, a 90 second downhill run uses a lot of quad, but that's a tiny percentage of the training she does.

To settle this debate once and for all i volunteer to time her running around the track or a least watch her run around the track.

"Why is it that downhill skiers are so aerobically talented? It doesn't seem like the kinda sport that would require a huge quantity of aerobic talent. It seems that it would require very good fitness, but wouldn't necessarily favor those who can have 400+ watt FTP"

A 2-minute, 3,000-vertical foot downhill course requires just as much aerobic / anaerobic talent and training as an all-out 800meters AND much much more strength. And extreme agility.
In my dreams I would way rather be an Olympic ski racer than an Olympic ITU athlete. Utterly crazy and thrilling (which triathlon generally isn't).

addition: I read that Bode Miller's HR for a 60-90 sec. race was 230 or so.

It's not "ST-calibrated," it's triathletes-in-general-calibrated. Monty tells a great story of a pro triathlete who shall remain nameless who told of completing a set of like 8 x 400yds on 3:45 or something ridiculous like that. Monty pointed out that the pace-time of the repeats was actually faster than the world record for the event. Her response? "How do you know I didn't swim that fast. You weren't there..."

This story smacks a lot of "oops, I forgot to start the clock, I'll just time the last 300m. Oh, did I not mention it was 52sec/300m DURING a 400m?"

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

You'd be surprised at how much hamstring involvement there is. What you say does make sense but I think as others have said, you do have to take into account how much cross-training is involved - especially considering it's a winter sport and she has to spend a significant portion of her year off the snow. I wouldn't be surprised if she does quite a lot of running, at least in the 'off season'.

NFW did she do that. I'd be surprised if any of the ITU men could even run a 52 second 400.

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speedySTATES

I just spent quite a bit of time analyzing her hamstrings and would have to agree with you:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/...lindsey-vonn_20.html

I too call bullshit and I'm surprised no one has tweeted her a link to this yet.

I went to school with Simon Whitfield and ran with him on the track team. He was unbeatable at the 800m to 3000m distances. Never lost a race. . . . and even he would struggle for a 52 second 1/4 mile.

HUGE fan of Lindsey. But this is a NO.

Well, I know Simon Whitfield can, since I've seen him do it. But considering that he is one of the top three or so sprinters in the ITU, I doubt there are a lot that can do it.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

HA - you beat me to the punch - yes Simon is the only one I can think of that is capable of this.

Ok, I've been happily corrected then!

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speedySTATES

I would be surprised if she could run it in under a 65, no way in hell she even breaks a minute. You can't just go out and run a 400 fast, 100 or 200 maybe but 400 is where training makes a difference, these two sports are only slightly related athletically.

I can't believe this is even being discussed. Are you kidding me. "I threw in the mid-90's, ran a 4.4 40, with a vertical leap of 48. The reason I didn't play in highschool is the fact that the coach didn't like me." LOL. How may times have you heard that at the water cooler.

This is the biggest batch of bull$hit I have read in a long time. It was good for a laugh though. Some of your bull$hit meters need some tuning.

Google search 2009 NCAA womens 400M finals and this is what you get.

Heat 1 Semi-Finals
1 Leslie Cole SR Oklahoma 52.19Q
2 Alexandria Spruiel SR North Carolina A&T 52.46Q
3 Joanna Atkins SO Auburn 52.51Q
4 Lajada Baldwin SO Mississippi 52.89Q
5 Endurance Abinuwa SO Texas-El Paso 53.00q
6 Elizabeth Olear JR Southern California 53.86
7 Kandi Bonty SR California 53.88 [53.874]
8 Katrina Taylor SR Baylor 54.19
-- Brandi Cross JR South Carolina FS
Heat 2 Semi-Finals
1 Francena McCorory SO Hampton 51.74Q
2 Jessica Beard SO Texas A&M 51.76Q
3 Keshia Baker JR Oregon 52.33Q
4 Shelise Williams SO Arkansas 52.85Q
5 Sharay Hale FR Columbia 53.08
6 Krystin Lacy SR UCLA 53.83
7 Michelle Fedrick SR Maryland 53.88 [53.880]
8 Alishea Usery FR Florida 54.62
9 Brook Turner SR California 54.89

I remember when I was a kid in math class and the instructor would make a blatantly obvious error on the board, I would just write the correct value down on my paper knowing that it was obvious that that is what they meant to put. Other students had to verify with the teacher that the number they wrote down was incorrect. They obviously knew that the number was wrong, but they needed to seek approval for their opinion. I wonder if there is some sort of dominant/recessive trait for this type of thing.

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She's up here at the moment, will have to go find her tomorrow and ask.

I was thinking about timing her at other more interesting exercises I could put her through that will take longer than 52 seconds.

At least after the first set of reps ;)

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You don't have to like what I say but you should respect my right to say them and I'll do the same to you.

Ha. Good one.

** She has hamstrings?? I didnt notice ;).

In all honesty, judging by the lack of definition in her legs (and i examined every one of those 45 pics), she has never spent any significant time running. She sure is a hell of a skier but im pretty sure that she isnt a runner and most surely not one that can run a 52 400m.

Yeah, that's probably not a correct statement. Probably requires just as much talent and a lot MORE training given the amount of skill required at the pinnacle of the sport.

The the sport relies so much on *skill* is precisely why it certainly does not require as much aerobic *talent*.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
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Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

I would bet $1,000 that Vonn couldn't run and break 53 seconds for 400m on a track. There is absolutely zero chance of her doing it.

I also agree that there are very few men triathletes that could run 52 seconds for a 400m, I would guess less than 10 in the ITU WCS races and that's being gracious its probably more like 4-5. In 70.3 and 140.6 racing I doubt there are more than 1 or 2 athletes that could run 52, and again that's being generous. I would be surprised if anyone could actually run a 52.

Someone mentioned women, that is a joke. There is not a woman triathlete that could run 52, period.