How far and fast can your four-year-old run?

[Dygger]

Sorry, not an AIBU but want some quick traffic.

I met a woman yesterday who swore to me that her four-year-old had run five miles. I said I couldn't imagine a four-year-old I knew who wouldn't get bored of running very quickly. Apparently he didn't get bored, he just kept running for five miles. Didn't stop. I said did she mean five miles or five kilometres. She said miles — yes, really miles and she knows a mile is nearly twice as long as a kilometre. I asked how long this took and she said around 70 minutes, but she didn't start timing until he got well into it so she had no real idea. I said I wasn't sure running that sort of distance would be good for his muscles and joints and she just laughed and said he was fine — and he did look fine, though he didn't seem very lively.

Obviously BS. No idea why she said it. We were in a queue at M&S and she was on her own with her child — so not as if she had friends there she was having a laugh in front of. ('I told this older woman that he'd run five miles and she f**king believed me!')

I was laughing about it last night with a friend who got serious and concerned and said the mother sounds disturbed and what must it be like for the child to be hearing this sort of thing from her. I've woken up feeling bad about it. What do you think was going on?

Just read your most recent comment also. Maybe he runs with his dad. How do you know its 5 miles? Surely people arnt this thick and can calculate 5 miles easy....there's at least a dozen ways to find out the basic distance of something. And who needs a running track when you jave loads of free space to run.
It seems to me like you've made this more complicated that'll it is just because you wouldn't do it.

Going by what our child ran when they were a toddler on a beach with my husband who runs half marathons not being able to keep up I would believe it

Nearly had a heart attack that day

My just turned 4 year old can run 3km in about 25-26 mins, so faster than me… she runs once a week with dad at her own pace and only started doing this a few months ago

I don’t think it’s impossible for a 4 year old to run 5 miles if they run regularly

Mine were doing full parkruns at 4 (but slower as we did run/walk) but there was the occasional child who ran it all young and fast so I don't think it's beyond realms of possibility! But maybe unlikely in this case! My children both swam very early and maybe some people wouldn't have believed me but I know they could (evened out now they're older).

Physically possible yes.

But there are limits on long distance races for children for good scientific reasons, so its not to be encouraged.

No mention of a father. All talk was about her and the child and her saying she was there with the child.

I walk a lot (dogs). I have no precise idea how far any particular walk is without checking it on a map and I'm not thick. Set your kids running randomly around free space for an hour, then tell me precisely how far each of them has run. You'll have no idea.

Lots of guidance on the internet suggesting that children of five should run no more than half a mile and nine-year-olds no more than a mile, so all the people here with young children running further might want to take advice.

In terms of speed 5 miles in 70 minutes is not amazingly fast, (14 min miles) However small kids generally like to run fast so would probably have a short bursts of running much faster, and then walking breaks. (That is how a lot of young kids do junior or regular parkrun)
But who would start training a 4 year old to run 5 miles? It's not really recommended at that age. 10k races usually have an age limit of around 12.

Sounds very far fetched and not ideal for weight bearing joints at that age.
My children didn’t even walk that far as 10 year olds.
They were all very sporty and fit ,playing football,rugby and tennis but 5 miles is quite a long walk ,let alone run .

5 miles is nowhere close to a long walk, don’t be ridiculous.

As for the run, I guess he was running with his mum. It’s unusual but the pace is pretty believable, I imagine it would have been stop start rather than steady pace, but who knows? Not sure why it’s bothering you so much though, I doubt he’d have done it if he was in pain or discomfort.

Who or what are you responding to?

Five miles is a long walk for a four-year-old.
His mother talked about watching him run, not running herself. I'm not someone who assumes everyone who runs is slim and athletic-looking, but shall we just say that she looked like the kind of person who would struggle to run 5k in 70 minutes, let alone 5 miles.

I volunteer at parkrun and would believe her. The pace is totally realistic and this isn't so unbelievable to be untrue - she's just proud and surprised by her son, I don't understand why it gets to you - it isn't like you are trying to run with your child and failing, you are doing different things.

The advice you are reading is kids starting out, doing a fun run out of the blue or because they think the kind of running they do at football is the same. This kid will have built up to it.

We are all in a running club so are surrounded by 'experts', experienced runners, and qualified , very experienced coaches. They train our children from young ages. It's fine for children to be running more than a mile at 9! We should be encouraging children to run.

It's entirely possible.

At that age my ds could walk cliff walks with adults and run ahead.

4 years later he started to lose his mobility and couldn't even walk 5 miles without significant pain and needing to rest for 3 days afterwards!

Some kids do like running. Many go to parkrun juniors with their parents at weekends and happily run the 5k.

5 miles isn't twice as long. There is 1.6k to a mile roughly.

My 4 year old could probably walk 5 miles (we go walking/hiking sometimes and the distances are usually around 5km for the easy family hikes) and I guess some of that would be running around with his brother. Mind you some would also be piggybacks and stopping for lunch at the halfway point.

Running all in one go, no idea...I know he can do 100m because we have a track at one of our local playgrounds he likes to race around.

Given junior park run completion times and friends kids who do actual parkrun I don't think the time is unbelievable but I can't really imagine a child would just decide to go on a 5 mile run non stop for fun but who knows

Lots of guidance on the internet suggesting that children of five should run no more than half a mile and nine-year-olds no more than a mile

You might want to tell the people in charge of "The Daily Mile" initiative about that then, as it's all based on university research.

But of course, "the internet" knows better.

There is probably guidance on the internet to say aliens on Pluto caused Covid does not make it true

It is for a 4 year old with little legs !

People chat all sorts of shit.

Unless you know this woman personally, which it doesn't sound like you do, I'd shrug it off as the Ramblings Of The Weird.

And why is she telling this tale to strangers in queues??

I know several athletics coaches and none would think 5 miles continuous run for a 4 year old was a good idea.

Behave, it is for little legs. They're doing half your stride length at best, so it's the equivalent of a 10 mile walk for them (or more!)

5 miles a long walk for most people. It would take them a good 1hr30m+

4 year olds shouldn't be cycling 25 fucking miles. 5, fine, but 25?

This is honestly not a dig, because I do it too all the time, but it's really hard to remember what your child could do at xyz age, after they've left that stage.

When I had my second, I had friends with babies the same age asking me "when did your first get her first teeth/say two syllable words etc" and I couldn't remember.

Some pps might have remembered doing the xyz cycle trail with their child - was he 4? 5? Did he do the whole trail? Its hard to remember after several years.

This is honestly not a dig, I think it's normal.

But, yeah... 5yos don't cycle 25 miles...!

Tbh ds at 2 was running 2+ miles. I would walk ddog around a woodland trail that was 2.2 miles and he probably did double that running away and back to me and round the trees and bushes and with ddog for around an hour.
Ds walked at 9 months and was climbing the curtains and leaping off the windowsills by 10 months

Well, 2 year olds shouldn't be running 2+ miles either