Trevor Dunbar, frozen two-mile run

December 8, 2008 5:43 PM

The new Internet legend. Trevor Dunbar ran a 9 min 1 sec, 2 mile time trial through ice and snow. The entire thing is recorded. And what was once in Alaska can't stay in Alaska. More details.
posted by jwakawaka (23 comments total)

Now he can haz cheezburger.
posted by chlorus at 5:49 PM on December 8, 2008

If I didn't have to get up off the couch, I would go get something warm to drink.
posted by procrastination at 6:00 PM on December 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

He starts running about 4 minutes in. In case you were wondering.
posted by smackfu at 6:09 PM on December 8, 2008

BACK IN MY DAY I delivered newspapers in a lot more ice and snow than this. Like, up to my waist some mornings (seriously). In the dark. And carrying 100 lbs of newspapers. Probably didn't set any speed records, but I did get a lot of $20 tips.
posted by DU at 6:13 PM on December 8, 2008

Maybe I'm just dim but how about some context? I have no idea where this sits in the running world, record-wise. The more details article provides nothing, really.
posted by Manhasset at 6:18 PM on December 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

Here I found this: wiki!

A 4:28 1 mile is the record for a pro. So you would expect 2 miles to be, at best, 8:58.

So 9 minutes is still quite nice.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 6:40 PM on December 8, 2008

Manhasset: "how about some context?"

My bad. I wanted to focus more on the controversy surrounding the video, something that seems be raging more in the running community anyway. Some context though:

1. Steve Prefontaine holds the record for the 2 mile in about 8:18.
2. Trevor Dunbar is very good and we may hear more from him in the near future.
posted by jwakawaka at 6:41 PM on December 8, 2008

Or better, what jwakawaka said.

I imagine he cheated. Using ice.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 6:47 PM on December 8, 2008

HOly shit. That is impressive.
posted by metastability at 6:58 PM on December 8, 2008

To give more context, 9:01 is a great time, but legendary? No. The conditions appear a lot worse than they probably were. The right size of spike wouldn't produce much slip, and he has a nice, short, choppy stride that's easy on the footing.

I ran middle distance at university and quite often during indoor season (December to March) my coach would shovel the snow off lane 1 so we could run workouts, and I've done time trials in the snow in shorts like these guys. In Canada it's pretty common. A 9:01 2-mile would be a respectable high-school time - when I was 20 quite a few of us ran a mid-season outdoor 3000m (roughly 200m short of a full 2-mile) in 8:30-8:40 one year in the snow in a January time trial and nobody blinked. That would work out to a (9:05-9:15 2-mile). I was a 14:30ish 5k runner at the time.
posted by jimmythefish at 7:15 PM on December 8, 2008

Thanks.
posted by Manhasset at 7:18 PM on December 8, 2008

six-or-six-thirty: A 4:28 1 mile is the record for a pro. So you would expect 2 miles to be, at best, 8:58.

My god that record is from 1852! I think it says the current men's world record for one mile is 3:43.13, by El Guerrouj.
posted by theyexpectresults at 7:34 PM on December 8, 2008

I would like to reiterate (for the first time here) my desire that athletes be seen, not interviewed.
posted by Panjandrum at 7:44 PM on December 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Is the fucking apocalypse going on behind him? People running, dogs barking, police sirens and klaxons, good god.
posted by boo_radley at 7:48 PM on December 8, 2008

My god that record is from 1852! I think it says the current men's world record for one mile is 3:43.13, by El Guerrouj.

Yes, sorry. I glanced and assumed it would be in actual record order.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 7:51 PM on December 8, 2008

I found this internet show intresting, features Trevor (which is was why it was recc'ed by Youtube, probably)
posted by delmoi at 7:56 PM on December 8, 2008

This is kind of a boring internet legend. Can we have a new one?
posted by echo target at 7:58 PM on December 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

A 9:01 2-mile would be a respectable high-school time

If by "respectable" you mean "one of the top 200 times ever" then, yeah.
posted by Justinian at 8:05 PM on December 8, 2008

Jimmythefish... you're being disingenuous! I used to run a sub 16:00 5K and would regularly come in top 20-top 50 in local races. NCAA meets are regularly won at just below 14:00. So: you were yourself an amazing but not-quite-world class runner if you were running those times. Give this kid a break.

This is a really good run. Not Prefontaine legendary, but damned good. Like: would have been a national H.S. record a few decades ago and would still put him in top 10 or so times at a national H.S. meet--and that on clean surface at normal temps.

Of course, I guess it IS worth noting--there's amazing, and then there's world class.
posted by minnesotaj at 8:21 PM on December 8, 2008

minnesotaj,

I'm just saying that it's not an impossible run by any means and it doesn't warrant the skepticism. It's just a great run in the cold.
posted by jimmythefish at 8:48 PM on December 8, 2008

My best time ever on the two-mile was 10:36. Not even close, and I was smoker at the time, but I was young, and it helped get me a high score (not perfect) on the Army's physical fitness test. I took two aspirin before the APFT to thin my blood (myth? doping?), and I paced myself, and knew where the last half-mile mark was (running on pavement), where I knew to lengthen my stride into a long-pace all-out sprint. In my (likely faulty) memory, I passed everybody, and came across the finish line with copious snot on my face from how hard I was going.

Being 22 is a long, long time ago.
posted by vitia at 9:05 PM on December 8, 2008

I like how his friends helped.
posted by mediareport at 6:35 AM on December 9, 2008

Not bad, but can he run 2 miles in 9 minutes on an icy Alaskan track… in 1852?
posted by designbot at 8:26 AM on December 9, 2008 [1 favorite]