Chad Johnson races horse, and wins.

[nickgutierrez]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2899227

Yeah, sure, he got a 100 meter head start. That's still pretty impressive, I think.

I've got to say, I like Chad Johnson. He's so over the top boastful, it's almost like his entire life is a piece of performance art. It's a refreshing thing to listen to somebody so unencumbered by sports pundits who always want guys like him to shut up and play, and won't be a cliché generating machine all the time.

[northzax]

1. not really that surprising

when you think about it. look at this weekend's belmont stakes. Rage to Riches ran the first furlong in about 24 seconds. obviously, the second half is faster than the first half (where you come from a standstill) so let's say 14 seconds for the first 1/16 of a mile. that means Chad Johnson has to run a 100 meter dash in under 14 seconds. which isn't really all that impressive for a wide receiver, no?

[Awsi Dooger]

2. You get a running start in horse racing

The starting gate is actually behind the point where the race officially begins. They don't mention that often enough. I forget how far away it is, maybe 50 yards. The people on this board who know racing better than I do probably have the specifics. The clock starts at that point, not when the horses leave the gate.

In horse racing the early fractions are normally faster than the end. The Belmont was an exception due to the fear factor of running a mile and a half. This year was an extreme example, the first quarter in roughly 24 4/5, and then the final quarter was 23 4/5. The last half of the race was quicker than the first half, which is very, very rare for the Belmont. It happened in the famous Affirmed/Alydar race in '78, when the same scenario unfolded, a dawdling opening half mile then sprint to the finish.

[northzax]

3. Good point

I don't know how the horse started in this race. But the point stands, if the winning horse at belmont, presumably faster than this nag, runs a furlong in 12-13 seconds, that means chad johnson has to run a 12 second 100 meter dash, hardly remarkable for a world class speedster, right?