When David Rudisha won the 2015 IAAF World Championships title in the 800m, he covered his last 100m in 12 seconds. His world record run in 2012 contained a 200m split of 23.2 seconds.
In Matt Centrowitz's Olympic gold medal-winning performance for 1500m, he ran the last 300m in 38 seconds. And even in a race as long as the 5K, Britain's Mo Farah has had performances where he's gone 51 seconds for his last lap.
So at times, the successful middle and long distance runner must be able to sprint at fairly high velocities in order to be a complete racer. And in order to run fast, one must be able to accelerate.
Nearly every event in track and field involves a sprinting component. Whether it be an approach in a jumping event, a specific leg of a relay race, navigating between the hurdles, running with a pole, or a javelin thrower's run-up, there is a necessity for athletes to accelerate with power and efficiency at some point during com...
