She's five feet 11 and I agree that that's really pushing it with regard to potential to be outstanding in distance running on a world class level but I don't think it will stop her from reaching a good national level such as 14:50/30:40.... She'll never sniff 14:00/29:00 which is gold standard now....Chebet and co
For now hold off on comparing her to Kenyans who are 100% doped to their lying eyeballs. She’s white though, and we know how much you dislike those people.
OP is trolling but what is so strange is that a girl ran 9:17 for 2 miles in HS; and if she was 3 foot 6 or 7 foot 2, it should be evident that her height was not a detriment. I remember there was a time when 9:17 would win many state titles for boys. Like I am quite confident that the vast majority of you have never run 9:17 for 2 miles. Maybe less than 10% of you.
OP is trolling but what is so strange is that a girl ran 9:17 for 2 miles in HS; and if she was 3 foot 6 or 7 foot 2, it should be evident that her height was not a detriment. I remember there was a time when 9:17 would win many state titles for boys. Like I am quite confident that the vast majority of you have never run 9:17 for 2 miles. Maybe less than 10% of you.
I think it's legitimate question, it might become a factor as she ages
OP is trolling but what is so strange is that a girl ran 9:17 for 2 miles in HS; and if she was 3 foot 6 or 7 foot 2, it should be evident that her height was not a detriment. I remember there was a time when 9:17 would win many state titles for boys. Like I am quite confident that the vast majority of you have never run 9:17 for 2 miles. Maybe less than 10% of you.
Yeah cuz there's never been an American female runner who is great while she was young and then completely flamed out
And most of those didn't have physical attributes which are clearly problematic for distance running
OP is trolling but what is so strange is that a girl ran 9:17 for 2 miles in HS; and if she was 3 foot 6 or 7 foot 2, it should be evident that her height was not a detriment. I remember there was a time when 9:17 would win many state titles for boys. Like I am quite confident that the vast majority of you have never run 9:17 for 2 miles. Maybe less than 10% of you.
Yeah cuz there's never been an American female runner who is great while she was young and then completely flamed out
And most of those didn't have physical attributes which are clearly problematic for distance running
You aren’t very bright. Jane is unlikely to become a world beater. Her height is not the reason. Why is her height a problem? Please explain it. She is within normal range for height.
This thread just shows how ignorant (maybe mal-informed) this site really is, and many should know better. What a silly notion that her height limits her development - there is nothing biomechanical that suggests this being a problem. Please say that none of you actually coach anyone. But then (as alluded to by one sarcastic poster) Bolt should have given up the 100m to go into another sport (he tried cricket).?!
There are two issues with being tall:
1. Weight (both for injuries and carrying it around).
2. Scaling laws for mechanics aren't linear, so the energy and force requirements at any given speed are higher (although her max speed should be faster than shorter runners).
NO her height is a rare for women distance running but not a deciding factor for success: Vo2 max, talent, running efficiency, determination, and blocks of uninterrupted training ARE ALL more important than height and that's a fact.
We always though the ideal height for distance runners was small.
Bekele 5ft 5.
Kipchoge 5ft 7.
Then Kiptum shatters the WR being 5ft 11. How is that possible ? He was too tall !
Big difference between 5 foot 11 for a man and five foot eleven for a woman so 5'11 for a woman is more like a man being six foot six or taller.
Hedengren is tall but she carries her height and weight well. Anyway, she's as skinny as a rake with very low body fat and I watched her race yesterday (YouTube recap) and she has impressive form so I don't think there's anything stopping her from reaching a very high level. I'm thinking ultimately she might reach 3:55/8:25/14:30/30:00 type standard, similar to Radcliffe, allowing her to participate in world championship type races for the USA but I don't think she's going to win anything significant on a world class level but if I'm wrong I'll be very happy to be wrong. She seems like a nice lady.
For those who think she put too much effort into yesterday's race think again because it only took her 19 minutes and she has time to recover eight days later. For guys running 10k that's a different matter and the recovery process is going to be longer and there's going to be some damage.
I remember how astonished people were when Usain Bolt started breaking records. He is MUCH taller than the prototypical sprinter, but he was unique. Perhaps Jane is able to overcome the height too. Speaking of sprinters, Femke Bol is 6 ft tall. She runs pretty well.
I remember how astonished people were when Usain Bolt started breaking records. He is MUCH taller than the prototypical sprinter, but he was unique. Perhaps Jane is able to overcome the height too. Speaking of sprinters, Femke Bol is 6 ft tall. She runs pretty well.
Bol is a sprinter, now turning to 800, with a different body composition, much more muscular and perfect coordination. Jane is coordinated, also, but we're talking about different events. Jane is an outlier, but good luck to her. Big respect for what she's accomplishing.
Craig Mottram says hi. He is probably the perfect comparison. Above average height but not exceptionally tall but still towers over other competitors. Both white, both race similar distances. Mottram had a good career.
Her height is rare for a distance athlete but not totally unheard of and it clearly hasn’t affected her yet.
Jane is obviously a talent but she is also clearly an early developer. Will she progress to become elite on the world stage or stagnant and just be a top American but never really push for global medals? No one knows yet. History says the latter, especially as I don’t think she’ll have the kick to win global medals and won’t be able to burn the fields off like she does now.
I can only think of two: Mu, who is tall, and Kratochvilova, who was muscular. One was obviously a doper. I've yet to see comparable body types in anything from the 1500 up.
How does that address the claim that height can never be a limitation for a distance runner?
If height isn't a factor in running then I guess weight isn't either. Nothing physical or anatomical is a limiting factor.
Because the thread was about Jane's height specifically, not people 5-7 inches taller than her. She's only proven to be the best high school runner of all time at her height and is showing signs she might do the same in college at her height.
I don't expect volleyball girls to keep up with her because I don't expect any collegiate woman to keep up with her regardless of height
At what point does height become a limiting factor for a female distance runner? Can you explain why NBA-type athletes are never top distance runners if height is irrelevant?
How many female Olympic medallists in distance events are her height? If she can only succeed at collegiate level then that says height can be a limiting factor.