You can not dispute his record and achievement in the marathon.
But did De Castella have an inefficient running action specifically his arm action?
Could he have run faster and be more energy efficient.
If you look at the linked video, Carlos Lopes appears more compact and wasting less energy with his form.
Since he was a WR holder, and you are a LRC hobbyjogger--non-WR holder--it would be that you are the one with inefficient running action.
Can't compair the two. Differtent body types.
I would say Deek reached 100% of his potential and that's all anyone could ask for. So it doesn't matter how his form looked. If he tried to change to a "proper" form, most likely he would have ran slower.
Well it might have been inefficient for someone else with different biomechanics, but probably not for Deeks specific biomechanics. Often when arms move out like that it's to balance out something further down in the legs. Bill Rodgers had one of his arms flap out and it turned out he had one leg slightly longer than the other. The arm flapping out was actually making him more efficient based on who he was biomechanically overall.
It is obviously difficult to say if De Castella changed his arm action that he would run faster.
However, Carlos Lopes and Steve Jones are both more compact than De Castella and both have faster marathon times.
Well it is a sub-optimum arm action. He did have alot of courage though.
having the great opportunity to run with Rob he was incredibly efficient. Remember Zatopek and his running style. Movement that requires the least amount of oxygen is what is required to run fast is the key. Watching most of the Kenyan women marathon runners makes me realise how important this concept is. Rob's style over years and years of training so what looks inefficient to you and me was fine for him due to his body's adaptation to his workload.
It was efficient for his bad conformation and biomechanics.
Lopes had perfect action which is partly why he was actually a considerably better runner in every way.
Alberto Salazar's action wasn't pretty.
Hiromi Taniguchi's form looked awkward.
Gidamis Shahanga also looked weird.
It just shows you there is more than one way to get it done.
Not everyone can run fast in a marathon and be compact like Bikila, Wolde, Shorter, Cierpinski and Lopes.
"A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, push himself even more." - Steve Prefontaine.
I ran that day and it was great weather for marathoning. In those years the Chicago Marathon started at city hall plaza and finished in the park north of downtown. Jonesy, Deek and Lopes. What a 1-2-3.
The real question is "What is an efficient marathon running technique?"
Probably efficient for him, but rather painful for the rest of us to watch. Makes Paula look smooth.
LeMond wrote:
The real question is "What is an efficient marathon running technique?"
Eliud Kipchoge.
Next question!
Deek was from Australia, and things are backward south of the equator, hence his ungainliness when running north of it.Toilet water swirls counterclockwise, etc.
"Like turning the pages of a book". Deek, who has a degree in bio-mechanics or bio-physics I believe, was studied closely at the AIS. His form was perfect for "him". One thing he managed to accomplish with this style is to keep the left elbow joint from being too rigid. This allowed for less shoulder sway and an easier ventilation process. By the way, Zatopek, Ryan, Salazar, Kuts,Treacy all had "terrible" form according to the "experts." But, feel free to criticize.
ray wrote:
"Like turning the pages of a book". Deek, who has a degree in bio-mechanics or bio-physics I believe, was studied closely at the AIS. His form was perfect for "him". One thing he managed to accomplish with this style is to keep the left elbow joint from being too rigid. This allowed for less shoulder sway and an easier ventilation process. By the way, Zatopek, Ryan, Salazar, Kuts,Treacy all had "terrible" form according to the "experts." But, feel free to criticize.
And oh, yeah he was also "too big" to be a marathoner at, I believe, 163 pounds. "You'll never amount to nothing, mate. Try rugby or football."
Padraig wrote:
LeMond wrote:The real question is "What is an efficient marathon running technique?"
Eliud Kipchoge.
Next question!
Ummm, Bekele.
ray wrote:
"Like turning the pages of a book". Deek, who has a degree in bio-mechanics or bio-physics I believe, was studied closely at the AIS. His form was perfect for "him". One thing he managed to accomplish with this style is to keep the left elbow joint from being too rigid. This allowed for less shoulder sway and an easier ventilation process. By the way, Zatopek, Ryan, Salazar, Kuts,Treacy all had "terrible" form according to the "experts." But, feel free to criticize.
I don't think the OP was criticising De Castella's action/form but rather asking if he had a more "efficient action" (whatever that means) would he had run faster.
Doesn't Gebreslassie have a twirling action with his right arm? He did pretty well in the marathon.
No Eliud Kipchoge's form is a lot better, Bekele just has more pure stamina
Used to be Rono wrote:
I ran that day and it was great weather for marathoning. In those years the Chicago Marathon started at city hall plaza and finished in the park north of downtown. Jonesy, Deek and Lopes. What a 1-2-3.
The pinnacle of white marathoning