Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 107, June 2018 | Page 31

OUT OF
THE By BOX
Norrie Williamson
THE TRIED AND TRUSTED 2.4
Those who ‘did time’ in the armed forces may still suffer a nervous reaction upon hearing the words “two point four,” but
it’s the stuff ‘men were made of’ for many years, and can still be a useful training guide today.
determination. In contrast, running 12 minutes flat-
out as a solo effort is a considerably harder task for
most runners, and you’re likely to do better running
solo over a shorter distance. Thus the mile (1.609km,
or four laps of the track) becomes a more valuable
assessment for the solo runner – it’s long enough
to assess both speed and endurance, but also a
reasonable duration to mentally challenge the runner’s
determination.
KEEP IT REGULAR
These tests can be done every six to eight weeks, as
one of the major benefits of a short distance blast is
that it requires only one day easy as preparation and
another day of active recovery after. There is minimum
impact on your training programme.
T
he 2.4km distance is traditionally used as a
fitness test for all serving personnel in military,
police and fire brigade services in many
countries. The test was developed for the US Military
in 1968 by sport scientist Dr Kenneth Cooper as
a simple, practical and easily implemented means
of assessing aerobic fitness, and became directly
comparable to a VO2 test in the lab.
The test was also used by the SA Defence Forces, as
many slightly older male readers will well remember,
with regular tests undertaken by platoons and squads,
and the minimum result expected was 12 minutes.
The true challenge, however, was that this normally
had to be completed in full kit, webbing and leather
boots. Oh, and just for fun, sometimes the instructors
made you run with an assault rifle as well, to hamper
a good arm action. That means you needed to run
an average pace of five minutes per kilometre with
an extra 18kg on board! Little wonder that this test
quickly exposed the injured and unfit.
Furthermore, the test is employed in various sports
as a means of assessing match officials, such as
soccer or rugby referees, who face an annual ‘2.4’ to
see if they can keep up with the game. Top officials
in these professional sports actually now need to
be considerably fitter than years gone by in order to
‘keep an eye on the ball,’ but 12 minutes for 2.4km
remains a recognised standard. And this test should
also be a stock option for all runners, because it
provides as good a guide, if not better, to ability,
fitness and training progression as the most expensive
VO2 Max assessment in the lab.
GO TEST YOURSELF
After a good warm-up, pump out six laps non-stop
on the track, taking the time of each 400m lap and
the overall time. The objective is to get your personal
fastest possible time, and every second counts, so
pacing is important. Start slightly conservatively, hit
your core pace from around 600m to 2000m, and
then for the last 400m squeeze out every last gram
of energy and determination to literally throw yourself
over the line. Just remember to hit the stop button!
When done regularly there is soon a trail of records,
which will indicate when a runner is reaching peak
fitness, recovering from a race, or even making a
return from injury. One of the most useful outcomes
is the ability to use the test to predict accurately your
potential time for an upcoming race, and from that
the pacing strategy to be used to achieve the best
outcome.
So while many runners may not have great memories
of the old 2.4 regimental test, along with the mile
it can be a key weapon in the running arsenal of a
competitive runner looking to achieve their best.
The faster you are, the better your practical (and
effective) VO2, and the faster you can run a 5km,
10km, 15km, half marathon, marathon, Oceans,
Comrades and even 100km. It truly is as simple as
that! (Note: Beyond 100km there are other facets that
come into play, including the ability to overcome sleep
depravation.) Also, by knowing your ability in a hard,
fast 2.4km, you can determine the required ‘Tempo’
pace when working towards your next goal race.
The great thing about these tests in the service was
that it was done in a squad or group. This meant that
there was ‘peer pressure’ and a bit of competitiveness
involved, which would help with focus and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and later his adopted South Africa in
ultra-distance running and triathlon. He is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer, has authored two
books on running, and counts 21 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals. You
can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
31