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.

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.

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

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

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.

Across sports, she is an absolutely formidable talent (think Gretzky like, Ali like, or Wellington like).

if she was not a track athlete, and stepped out onto a track, cold, and ran :52, by herself, she should have stopped skiing right then and there. she's a great skier. but she would've been the best female quarter miler of all time. and the best half-miler. and probably the best 200m runner.

I think it's lame that a professional athlete would even bring this up in public and say shit like "no one believes me" or "seems a little fishy" when it's quite obvious that said time wasn't even remotely possible for someone of her physique, sport and training background. She should know better to check that out with her agent or training partners to get a sanity check before blabbing about it on the internet.

Slow news day.

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.

"The 400m doesn't work that way. Just because you can break 15:00 min in a 5k doesn't mean you can run a 52 second 400m."

I personally would disagree. A 15 minute or less 5k is really fast. In high school I was only running low 16's for the 5k (cross-country) but run a sub-51 second 400m. Heck I would sometimes go out in a 54 during 800 meter races. Anyway I would be really surprised if some of these ITU guys who are running sub 5 minute miles for a 10K couldn't lay down a 52.

There just happens to be video of her workouts. Being far from an expert on running, or skiing, or pretty much anything else, does that look like a workout that would assist someone in obtaining a fast 400m time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnGorzSm5Rk

The difference between a 52 and a 65 is astronomical. Like the distance from Mercury to Pluto astronomical...