Ideal body size/type for a 1500/1600m runner

Google "Hicham El Guerrouj", although he was more on the 1500/5000 end of things.

If you want someone more on the 800/1500 end, I suggest looking at Makhloufi.

Kiprop is just a freak of nature and not at all typical for elite 1500m runners.

I believe that the trend (in ahtletics in general and running in particular) goes towards a thin, tall athlete. Today some of the very best runners (in my opinion), meaning not just the best performers but also those with the best running technique, are Bolt, Rudisha, Kiprop... who are all around 1,90m. Even in the marathon Wilson Kipsang is over 1,80m which is very tall for a long distance runner. After all, length stride is one of the two factors defining speed (the other being cadence), so a long leg is a natural advantage.

I think the most common build you see at the VERY top is that it Jim Ryun. Same sort of build as El G, Nick Willis, Ayanleh Souleiman, and others. Muscular legs, not pencil-skinny as 5000m runners (usually), fairly skinny upper body, proportionally longer legs, high-bunched calves. Basically read where John L. Parker describes Quenton Cassidy in once a runner. There's a huge amount of fluctuation in body type in the 1500, though. I think it gets more uniform as you go up or down in distance, but as someone pointed out, some outliers are of very different builds.

jamesmax wrote:

After all, length stride is one of the two factors defining speed (the other being cadence), so a long leg is a natural advantage.

You realize that leg length and stride length are pretty much unrelated? There are some taller distance runners. There are ton more short ones. Personally I think is more just the distributions of heights among the kenyans and ethopians than an advantage.

There is no ideal body shape for a miler.

Your body doesn't matter if you don't have heart.

You gotta have heart.

*Pounds Chest*

*pounds chest back*

*pounds chest back*

6' 3"

137 lbs

(Kiprop)

notrump wrote:

6' 3"

137 lbs

(Kiprop)

Slower than 5'9 el G, 5'8 Lagat, and just a bit faster than 5'5 Mo Farah. There are a ton of great runners between 5'7-'6'1. Of course like 90% of the population is in that height range.

James Sheriff wrote:

Hi , I am a high school runner. And I am always told I have the right body size to be a good miler. I am 5'9 and 153 pounds. I've got pretty normal running legs (maybe a little more on the muscular side) and with broad shoulders. I'd like to think I look like makhloufi. Although I hear this I have always wondered what the average pro 1500m runner body is. Anyone have any clue of the so called "ideal" body size of a miler ?

Most (all?) world class milers have a lower BMI than you.

pr100 wrote:

James Sheriff wrote:

Hi , I am a high school runner. And I am always told I have the right body size to be a good miler. I am 5'9 and 153 pounds. I've got pretty normal running legs (maybe a little more on the muscular side) and with broad shoulders. I'd like to think I look like makhloufi. Although I hear this I have always wondered what the average pro 1500m runner body is. Anyone have any clue of the so called "ideal" body size of a miler ?

Most (all?) world class milers have a lower BMI than you.

One exception to that would be Peter Snell. His mile times might not be called world class today but if Ryun can be included in this conversation then surely Snell can be too. Wikipedia has him at 5'10 and 180 pounds, which looks about right from the photos and videos.

I just checked - according to the IAAF toplists, Snell's 3:54.03 mile would have ranked him 15th so far in 2015, while his 1:44.3 800m would have him 17th. Is top 20 in the world 'world class'? I think it is.

Whatever body mass can close in 52 seconds.

asdadsfa wrote:

notrump wrote:

6' 3"

137 lbs

(Kiprop)

Slower than 5'9 el G, 5'8 Lagat, and just a bit faster than 5'5 Mo Farah. There are a ton of great runners between 5'7-'6'1. Of course like 90% of the population is in that height range.

I had no idea Farah was that short.

You want your body fat to be sub-7.5% Great runners have been various shapes. John Walker, 6' 170lbs. Peter Rono, 5'3.5" 119lbs. Both have 1500 metres Olympic gold.

You want your body fat to be sub-7.5% Great runners have been various shapes. John Walker, 6' 170lbs. Peter Rono, 5'3.5" 119lbs. Both have 1500 metres Olympic gold.

ironside wrote:

You want your body fat to be sub-7.5%

Totally irrelevant at HS level. Focus at running fast. If you have talent, other things will come.

asdadsfa wrote:

notrump wrote:

6' 3"

137 lbs

(Kiprop)

Slower than 5'9 el G, 5'8 Lagat, and just a bit faster than 5'5 Mo Farah. There are a ton of great runners between 5'7-'6'1. Of course like 90% of the population is in that height range.

No way ELG was 5'9". That's the same height as Coe. ELG is at least as tall as Ovett was, and I'd not be surprised if he were 6 foot.

OP, while there's no ideal size for the mile (and 800), I think most elite milers have a higher leg/torso length ratio. That is, their torso is relatively short compared to leg length. It's hard to tell standing up, but sitting down it's noticeable. I'm 5 inches shorter than two of my running friends, but I'm as tall as they are sitting down. One is a Olympian miler; the other was a top college 5ker.

OP, don't worry about it. There's enough variation in milers for you to fit in nicely. Just train smart.