Call That Fast? Get Up To Speed With The World Athletics Championships!

As sporting events find ever more exotic locations, they also find new spots on the calendar – which means, months later than usual, we’re limbering up for the World Athletics Championships!

 

The starter’s gun will fire in Doha this coming Friday, with piles of live coverage on BBC One and Two (Virgin TV 108 & 109) and we can’t wait for the action to begin. After all, if there’s one thing our superfast broadband has taught us, it’s that few things matter more than speed!

 

With that in mind, we’ve crunched some numbers ahead of the racing; now, get on your marks!

 

FELINE FINE

 

Top sprinters clock speeds of more than 25mph – with the now-retired Usain Bolt maxing at 27.8mph– right around the top speed of a typical pet housecat. So when people said he was as fast as a cat, they really weren’t kidding!

 

 

TIRED THINKING ABOUT IT

 

Events will kick off with the women’s marathon, shortly after Friday’s Opening Ceremony – and while it doesn’t seem lightning fast at first glance, looks can be deceiving. Mary Keitany’s world record of 2 hours 17 minutes corresponds to a lap of a standard track every 78 seconds; give that a go even once and you’ll have a brand new appreciation for these super-athletes!

 

 

GET SET…BUT DON’T GO!

 

Did you know you can false start without moving before the gun? It’s scientifically impossible for the human brain to hear and process the sound in under 0.10 seconds – so if an athlete’s within that window, it’s going to be called back!

 

 

A MIGHTY BLOW

 

Any wind of more than 2 metres per second renders official times invalid – meaning blustery conditions can make setting new world records impossible. Not that we’d expect it to be a major issue here; Doha isn’t famous for gusty weather!

 

 

Feeling the need for speed? Enjoy Ireland’s fastest broadband speed with Virgin Media – click here to find out more!