height isn't the issue. its ratio of torso to legs. look at the best runners, they have slightly longer legs and slightly shorter torso. in the event you have short legs and a longer torso, stop even trying to run and take up swimming.
Current WRs for 3k and up indicate it's around 6 feet.
3000M: Jakob Inglebrigsten- 6'1"
5000M: Joshua Cheptegei - 6'0"
10000M: Joshua Cheptegei - 6'0"
Half Marathon: Yomif Kejelcha - 6'1"
Marathon: Kelvin Kiptum - 5'11"
Honestly I'm surprised that Jakob is the same height as Kejelcha and that Cheptegei is only an inch shorter. Kejelcha always appears to tower over everyone else on the track. Maybe it's just because he's so skinny.
I think that anything between 5'4 and 6'0 is totally fine. Runners taller than 6'0 tend to struggle with injuries. If I had to pick a "perfect" height, I would probably go with 5'8. But Geb and Bekele beg to differ!
Interesting statistic for the Men’s Olympic 100m. The shortest ever gold medal winner was Maurice Greene who stood 5’9. No guessing required for the tallest - Bolt at 6’5.
Interesting statistic for the Men’s Olympic 100m. The shortest ever gold medal winner was Maurice Greene who stood 5’9. No guessing required for the tallest - Bolt at 6’5.
DeGrasse 5f 9 i
154 lbs
worlds and olympics
4 gold 4 silver 6 bronze
forgetaboutit
don't forget about the weiner dog that ran 440 mile, with plenty to spare.
Idk why middle distance isn't being discussed, 800 there is a clear advantage for guys over 6ft, that huge stride really helps with having a very fast 400m. and this definitely translates to the longer distances 1 mile-5k. Fisher is even 5'10 and actually looks 5'11 on screen, all the top prep kids have been at least 5'10 now Powell, Simmons, and Griffith. Ingebrigtsen wouldn't be as dominant in the 1500m if he was 5'9, that sentence alone should be a thread. All the best runners I personally ran against and thought had a chance at being pro or actually did go pro were 5'10-6', the one guy who wasn't and didn't go pro, I myself beat him in a mile the same year he was all American. More height and a longer stride and I wouldn't be able to touch him in a mile race. I will end with this, the top American prep athlete is a 6'1 16 y/o running 1:47, there's a chance nobody can touch him in the mile this year.
People tend to exaggerate the height of athletes, especially distance runners. Being lanky can give the appearance of height, but once you're standing next to them, you realize they aren't as tall as you'd think. Also, Wiki and brand profiles ALWAYS add a few inches to the height of athletes.
I am a hair over 6'0" and I find that I am usually taller than most people. In college, I felt tall at times on the track, especially in the 10,000. There would be taller guys, but they seemed to struggle. I think over 800, the 5'10" to 6'0" range tended to overrepresent, but in the 10,000 there were always shorter guys running fast times. I ran in the aughts, so things have likely changed, but the idea that "long stride" equals speed is nothing but bro science. Go tell Parker Wolfe and Cole Hocker that they their stride isn't long enough. The world is full of "long strides" that never amount to anything but an impressive form on the track.
One of the reasons I care enough to post here is that I was RD for a local Half for about a decade before passing it over to a younger and more experienced friend. One time as I was checking on the finish crew as the winners came in, an overweight (and very nice) guy on a local board supporting the race turned to me in the golf cart and said, "That guy is just built for running with that long stride." He was pointing to a guy who was about 6'7" and finishing at about 1:40 (which was fast for this guy, I know him). It felt like such an odd comment because there had been about 25-30 guys who finished ahead of him, with the winner running just north of 1:11. He said nothing about those guys, most of whom were in the 5'10"-ish range. For some reason his comment stuck with me over the years... Maybe because I am "only" 6'0" and change and felt slighted? Who knows...
Anyway, the current HS generation seems to put WAY too much focus on height for everything. It is a major focus of conversations, arguments, everything. Hope this trend goes away because it is not something people can control, and I worry it will keep kids from trying new sports.
I'm 6'0 with a long torso and stubby legs. Wish I was built the other way around. My cadence is often 190+ during races. I feel more limited at middle distances up to 5k but relatively good at the longer distances. I can sprint well however
Look around you. The average height for an American male is more like 5'11.
It really isn't, though. Get outside of an office building or college campus and you'll realize that most people are pretty short. Just go to a Wal-Mart or a Safeway or a subway station and look around. Median height is probably 5'11" to 6'0", though.
Ideal height would be something like 200 meters. Your stride length then would be around 100m, so each lap around the track would be 4 steps, one at each corner of the track.
I can't speak for marathons, I haven't ran one yet, but what I noticed in high school and college XC that the girls/women who placed in the top ten (myself included) typically seemed to be around 5'3'' to 5'5'' in height. Many also seemed slightly more muscular "for a woman" (myself not included). 5'4'' is the average for an American woman I believe. I have noticed the same trend with half marathons as well minus the noticable muscle.
I don't think height is a significant factor when it comes to performance. If you look at the world records, you'll find that pretty much everyone is within an inch or two of the average height for their country. For example, Geb and Bekele are 5'5. The average Ethiopian man is 5'6.
Kipchoge is 5'7, exactly the average height of a Kenyan man. Bernard Legat is 5'8. There are a few Kenyans (Paul Tergat at 6'0, most notably) who are significantly taller than average, but not enough to make it clear that height is a true advantage.
Same in the sprints.
Michael Johnson is 5’9.
Tyson Gay is 5’9.
Christian Coleman is 5’8.
Noah Lyles is like 5’11 I think
No evidence that height helps but obviously there are some tall runners in the mix, too.
height isn't the issue. its ratio of torso to legs. look at the best runners, they have slightly longer legs and slightly shorter torso. in the event you have short legs and a longer torso, stop even trying to run and take up swimming.
nah Centro has little bitty legs and is a Olympic champ.
Over half of all 1500m champions have been 5'8" or 5'9" (this includes Ramzi, who was 5'8" but had his medal revoked. Kiprop replaced him and is 6'2", but was later banned for doping, and the rightful winner Nick Willis is 6'). The rest are pretty big outliers, like Jakob at 6'1" and Henry Rono at 5'4"