Derrick Drewry

Want your athletes to run faster in every race? Start with one distance: the 1600m. Here’s why. The 1600m is the sweet spot—a perfect balance of speed and endurance. Long enough to test aerobic capacity, but short enough to sharpen speed. It's the gold standard for setting training paces. Here's how I use it to train my teams: 1. We run 1600m time trials early in the season to get a benchmark. 2. From there, every pace we use is a calculated percentage of that 1600m time: • Longer runs (3200m, 5k, long run pace) = less than 100% • Speed work (800m, 400m) = greater than 100% 3. We run another time trial every 2 weeks until the season begins and update progress. This system is about 90% accurate at predicting race times. Seriously. Want a faster 800m? Train to get faster in the 1600m. Want a better 5K? The 1600m still holds the key. I've used this method for over 15 years. I've watched it turn nervous beginners into confident racers. The 1600m gives us realistic targets and builds unstoppable momentum. So, stop guessing. Start using the 1600m as your anchor—and watch your team transform.