[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I suspect that sprints are different than long distance running, though. I do lots of long distance runs in Denver and I'm slower than I am at sea level, but I don't even notice that it's harder. I'm just slower.

But going up stairs, I notice the elevation. I think it's easier to go into oxygen debt when you're working harder, and it gets more pronounced as you go up. 7,400 feet in Mexico City is going to be easier to get winded than 5,300 feet in Denver. When I've done mountain races, the downhills don't bother me and the level ground (at my slow speed) don't bother me, even though I'm slower. But the uphills get brutal as you get higher, far worse than running uphill at sea level, and I suspect that a sprint on level ground at high altitude mirrors running uphill more than it resembles my slow long-distance runs.

That said, I ran two races in July this year, one at 5,300 feet and one at 8,500 feet. Both were level courses for the most part. I actually had a faster time at 8,500 feet, probably because it was 7 degrees cooler. So there are other factors that can impact performance besides altitude.

So, this shouldn't be a factor, since both Hunt and Gurley are down-hill runners.