Barefoot 100m on Ice World Record
Nov.13, 2007 in
running
I can’t say that I’ve ever tried running barefoot on ice, so I may be entirely of base with this statement: I think this record is pretty soft:
The fastest time to run 100 m (328 ft) barefoot on ice is 17.35 sec set by Nico Surings (Netherlands) at the Ijssportcentrum in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on December 8, 2006.
High school boys can go sub-11 seconds wearing spikes on a track. Does taking away the shoes and throwing in some ice justify the 6+ second difference?
November 13th, 2007 at 10:19 am
depends how long your toenails are?
are we talking clipped or jagged talons?
November 13th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I would say there is a lack of talent in the pool. Cripes, I could run 100 m with my pants around my ankles and smoking two cigarettes at once and have it timed. Then we could call that time a world record for the Pride 100 m Dash. Until some real athlete bothers to run the Pride 100 m Dash and break my WR.
November 14th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
What were the ice conditions? Seems like colder, harder ice would provide far less traction than slush. I think they need a standard air temp attached to keep posers from stealing the crown.
November 14th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Having consistent ice is a HUGE factor here. I’m imagining an Olympic speed skating style surface, but maybe I’m giving Nico more credit than he deserves?
November 14th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
I’ll get with my USATF brethren and discuss. Maybe we’ll sponsor a race on Lake Nokomis this winter–a 100m Ice Dash. Winner gets a shot of Jamison.
November 14th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Time to make corrections–it is Jameson, at least if you’re buying for me, I’ll pass on the Jamison.
Ice and traction myth-busting–traction is better on colder ice because it is drier, ice is much more slippery if it has a sheen of water on top. As for the traction of colder barefeet, likely the reverse, but you could always keep your feet warm until seconds before making your 17 second dash.
Netherlands sprinters–I don’t know about Nico, but in general the Netherlands measures up athletically with the world; as for specific to Netherlands barefoot sprinters, I imagine this is pretty open since, after all, who is the competition, eh?
As for sprinting on ice, sure, once you reach speed, there is little difference due to surface (both ground and shoe/foot), but undoubtedly those precious 6-7 seconds are lost in the first 30-40 yards before reaching your cheetah speed.
As for legit or not–Tyson Gay versus Nico, the first 10-20 sprints I would definitely put my money on Nico for the experience factor of building speed without traction. After that, if Tyson hasn’t pulled both hamstrings or fallen twisting an ankle, he might be figuring it out and start to use his (likely) superior top-end speed to close the gap, so who knows.
But, given my northern youthful experience growing up on ice, I’m thinking 17 seconds for 100m is pretty legit. At least, I’d take it.