Florida Boys Rankings by Combined Times in the 400m and the 800m.
*We took the boys who ran both a 400m and an 800m in 2025, and ranked them by their combined times. In generating the rankings, we used the top 100 ranked boys in the 400m who had run both events.
The 800m used to be considered a distance event. Today, one could question if it is more about speed and strength and several, but not all, of the attributes that make a sprinter, rather than the endurance and strength attributes of the distance runner. Without going into the details of the body types of both, there are exhaustive studies on what makes a sprinter and what makes a distance runner. As the 800 gets faster and faster, does it make sense to take an athlete's speed in the 400 and move them to the 800? One recognizes that it is not a simple yes or no answer, but it should be a consideration for both the coach and the athlete.
Statistics can help some in those decisions. Here is a look at the top-ranked boys in...