800 Meter WORLD RECORD History!! The Road to 1:39

The 800 meters is one of the most punishing events in track and field. Essentially, this discipline is an elongated sprint, and therefore, lactic acid build up is super common, resulting in painful endings for many runners.

The current world record is 1:40.91 by David Rudisha. This time has stood since 2012, but how exactly did we get here? In this video, we'll take a deep dive into the world record history of the 800 meters. Thanks for watching!

[jonathanhole]

The 800m final in the 2012 olympics was arguably the best track race ever, certainly the best 800m ever. A world record, 7 out of 8 set PBs and 7 out of 8 never ran faster again!! That's insane

[OfentseMwaseFilms]

Rudisha looks absolutely amazing when he’s running!

[coloeye]

Ran this race since middle school. Hated it for years and preferred the 400 but was good at the 8 so my team had me always running it. Finally learned to accept and love the race and it became my focus. Broke 2 minutes in my last HS race and still to this day (16 years later) I still remember how much it hurt. I will always respect this race as it’s own monster

[CrombolTerrison]

“As any 800m runner will tell you, It hurts.” *Immediately shows Amos*

[bigdogpete]

David Rudisha is a graceful athlete that makes it look effortless.

[nicomarroquin]

Shoutout to our YouTube Olympian boy, Symmonds

[curls]

I love when you make running timeline videos keep up the great work

[pierjaqueantiac]

Makes me think: How fast had Snell gone on a modern track? Dude ran fast by today’s standards on a friggin grass track! Unbelievable!

[ianbusche]

Rip peter Snell December of 2019 was his time

[aroundandround]

15:01 That nearly 8 feet stride with the grace of a lion gives me goosebumps every single time.

[NeilTheFerret]

remember to this day watching that race, beyond belief, remember the race was so fast that the "loser" would have taken gold in the past 3 olympics, utter madness :)

[mdrewery]

Knowing how hard this race is, this video brought tears to my eyes. Truly amazing!

[Thegardener]

I feel so bad for Amos. One of the best 800m runners out there and he barely won anything. Just happened to be running against the best ever. Bad timing

[charleshackbarth]

I ran 1:57:06 at a high school conference meet in 1981, my best ever. I recall thinking in my last 10 yards how much it took out of my body and knew that I had reached my physical limit. The pain was unmatched to anything I had ever experienced to date and I am now 58. Running 1:40 (or even something close) just boggles the mind....unbelievable athleticism, unbelievable speed, unbelievable spirit.

[brahmburgers]

Thanks for putting that compilation together. I'm 69 and have always had great respect for 800 M runners. The Cuban, in particular, has a gazelle-like stride. It brings to mind Rice of the SF 49'ers. Montana would lead him by tens of meters with the football, and Rice would be there to catch it without adjusting his stride. Little known fact: Rice would imagine himself as The Silver Surfer (comic book hero).

[Yes-slgz]

This is an incredible video! Thanks for sharing. 800 is my absolute favorite race to watch. It takes a uniquely gifted athlete to compete at a high level.

[jpolweny]

TRP your best one yet 👍🏿💯👏🏿about the history of the 800m WR. Full disclosure, the 800m is my favourite event but absolutely loved the old B&W footage and the sensational tidbits particularly the fact that Snell is still the New Zealand record holder with a sub 1.45 800m on grass🤔🤷🏿‍♂️🙈😜 Thanks again, keep up the great work.

[adegbenroagoro]

The Cuban had the biggest stride I’ve ever seen. I remember watching him run in 1978 and it was so noticeable. Rudisha also has a large stride. That 2012 race he ran was SUBLIME. Coe was a joy to watch. That a world record was set on a grass track is amazing. That it still stands as the New Zealand National record almost SIXTY YEARS later is a testimony to its greatness.

[shazzarkallie]

This video makes me want to put on my track shoes again for the first time in 20 years and run two laps around the track for nostalgia's sake!

[stephenosingo]

Excellent video n commentary. Well researched and balanced historical footprints of 800m world records. Rudisha's victory was the icing on the cake. Big respect to all previous WR beaters.

Keep up the great job.