Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas has given the public a reality check on how fast professional athletes are. A clip shared by Athlos and later reposted by Thomas shows an average guy trying to keep up with some of the world’s speediest female sprinters.
Thomas joked on her Instagram story, alongside the original video,
“In case you’re wondering how fast you’d be compared to us.“
The original video, posted by Athlos, a one-of-a-kind track event exclusive for female athletes organized by Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian—puts to rest a challenge many female athletes have faced.
“We learned that every single one of these female athletes has had a guy come up to them at some point and challenge them to a race, thinking they’s even have a chance. So we thought Athlos was the perfect place to compare the speed of an average Joe to the fastest female runners in the world.“
So, Athlos decided to examine this by pitting one average male against their collection of best female sprinters. The result? It’s fair to say it wasn’t close.
— Sam John (@SamJohn1190) October 1, 2024
The video follows Athlos athletes and Marlon Primous (average Joe) standing at the starting point. Within seconds of the starting gun going off, the pro runners quickly break away, and Primous is caught in no man’s land. This reveals just how much faster world-class talents are than amateur enthusiasm.
Ohanian, happy about bringing this idea to life, commented:
“I was inspired by a @reddit post about this from like a decade ago—finally got the chance to bring it to life at @ATHLOS.“
Amused by the interaction, the Olympic gold medalist chimed in with, “What the people wanted.” This visual comparison is a humble reminder of the speed and skill professional runners possess.
Recently, Thomas reflected on her performance in the Athlos meet on September 26, 2024, in New York City, where she came second to Brittany Brown.
She offered an upbeat viewpoint while acknowledging the accomplishments of her fellow competitors and the event’s environment rather than its conclusion.
Brown raced an impressive 22.18 and, in the last stretch, passed the defending 200-meter Olympic champion, who finished second in Athlos with a timing of 22.21 seconds.
Witnessing the inaugural Athlos event grow into a successful track meet in 2024 was exciting for Thomas. She said she was happy with the result and thanked everyone for supporting the women’s track and field competition.
