Second Rudisha, that period around London it just looked so easy for him and impossible to beat.
Same race learned us you can have some pretty disparate body types and strides and get it done in the 8. Lets look at Rudisha side by side with Symmonds! One guy with 8ft legs and the other a 156lb weight class wrestler. Its all economy I guess.
Remember, Rudisha led every step and set a world record. Everyone else got towed along to the race of their lives. He was by far the class of the field.
his foot strike was unusual, though, maybe very natural, in this unnatural age.
the foot came down first on the ball of the foot, then transfer the weight to the entire foot and then transferer back to the ball of the foot and toes for lift off.
i ran that way once, and the running shoes of the time, were a disaster mostly, made to push a heel strike, and made my morons, after the non runners were pushed out the way at Nike. which was early in the game.
They would change shoe models every year, so if you got a shoe that worked, you would be back at square zero, as the new model, was usually crap.
Today thank god, some of the shoes actually work properly, something that was a long time in coming.
That said, today, my mileage is low so shoes are not that big of a deal, I have some Adidas that seemed to be good, comfy, stylish, but they are subpar, as the sole is too soft, and transfers stress to the feet, which is counter intuitive.
In work, on the feet 10 hours, my small heel contoured solid sole leads to zero foot soreness, and the Adidas, well, feet are sore as hell.
At the end of the day, the manufacturers make a great shoe, and then they degenerate, in a never ending moronic process. which reflects the nature of the world today. stupid kills smart,
Always found Lasse Viren mesmerizing to watch. So effortless.
There's a short video on youtube that analyzing his form. One comment--whether he's jogging, sprinting, or running at a moderate pace, his form is identical--it never changes.