Best running form you ever saw--please vote

Coe's legs went too far back. El G has a better form.

Did anyone watch Galen's 8:09 2 mile video?!??!?! His knees were much higher and his legs were not flailing behind him, UNLIKE Andrew Bumby behind him. If Andrew's form was better, he may have kept up with Galen for another few laps.

Glasses anybody? wrote:

T&F Analyst wrote:

For years and years, I also thought Coe had probably the best form I'd ever seen......until ElG and Kipketer came along. They convinced me otherwise.

Kipketer yes, smooth as silk. He floated like a gazelle.

EL G, NO! he looked hunched and seemed to shuffle at times, a bit like Morceli.

Coe's form will always be iconic. The blue print for all other middle distance runners. Seldom matched, never bettered.

Are you serious? Hunched? No, he doesn't run straight up like an erection, but he's far from hunched and if you can find a shuffle in this stride, please let the world know.

Emil zatopek

Joke!!! I'll go with Lasse Viren

Ismael Kirui 1993. Final 5000 meter. Solo running from halfway. The kid was only 18 yo and the Kenyans had a big rivalry with Khalid Skah. World Record was 12:58 and he cruised home with a time of 13:02. He would definitely have had a chance of breaking the WR in that shape. Geb and another Ethiopian guy were coming strong behind but couldnt catch Ismael. It was very exciting. And kinda ignitied my interest in running.

How about some love for John Ngugi? ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAt_-EsAr0o

I'll have to go with PETER SNELL. The guys form was so powerful yet economical. Only pure form would allow a 1:44.3 negative split to be run on a grass track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0woLEtQQA

not.bad wrote:

good footage too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS4ByYyM4DQ&feature=related

Notice how well formed his body is and relaxed and even his body carriage is.

Why can't white people do this? Its not complicated.

funny that almost no female runners have been mentioned on this thread. Why is that?

Torpendo 7 wrote:

I'll have to go with PETER SNELL. The guys form was so powerful yet economical. Only pure form would allow a 1:44.3 negative split to be run on a grass track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0woLEtQQA

Great form, but his WR was not a negative split. Went through first 400m inside 51.0

allison stokke

Sammy leaned his head to the right. Gammoudi was a famous head-roller. Cram's feet toed out pretty radically when he was sprinting. El G did have a forward lean that looked slightly aesthetically odd (I repeat, slightly).

My top 5, in no special order--different kinds of great form:

J. Wariner

S. Coe

M. Decker

K. Bekele

A. Felix

agip wrote:

funny that almost no female runners have been mentioned on this thread. Why is that?

Slaney, Flanagan got nods.

How will this drill ("hundred up") help me? I understand the main point of the drill is to get knee lift and I acknowledge this is very important (look at the 2nd video below of different Radcliffe's knee/femur angle is from Goucher and Petrova!!)but what I don't understand is when you watch athletes who claim the hundred up has helped them, their feet hardly leave the ground. I have been told that while I am a front to midfoot striker my foot lands quite far in front as opposed to directly underneath and have been told to do drills in which I practice "landing behind" also to position more far forward without piking at the waist.

Hundred UP:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=100+up+running+drill&mid=7D49C97F0C93611C959C7D49C97F0C93611C959C&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1&adlt=strict

Radcliffe, Goucher, Petrova in slow mo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jJ7bWJfp64&feature=player_embedded

thanks everybody

Griffith-Joyner, Felix, Budd, and Dibaba have also been mentioned--that's at least six total, with Decker and Flanagan.

Possible reasons for fewer womemn mentioned:

1. The much shorter period during which women have been able to compete at the high levels in many events. When Zatopek, Gammoudi, Snell, Elliott, Boit, Dyce, and many more men mentioned here were racing, the longest women's Olympic distance was 1500m or less.

2. The even shorter period during which African women have been training and racing as pros.

3. Letsrun sexism, of course. (I'm surprised that Alenka Bikar hasn't been mentioned, but we've had Stokke.)

Galen Rupp is one of the smoothest runners currently competing.

Pekka Vassala for the men. Ceci Hopp or Claudette Groendahl for the women.

Read an interesting study on running efficiency a few years ago where they broke down various runners strides and they found that Ryun was nowhere near as efficient as Steve Scott or Ray Flynn. Problem is , most people who don't have great form don't because of an adaptation to a stryuctural deficiency.

xlev2 wrote:

agip wrote:

funny that almost no female runners have been mentioned on this thread. Why is that?

Slaney, Flanagan got nods.

Also, Rowbury.

In my book, it doesn't get much better than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlwS0Fyq8vk

JR had one gorgeous stride. And this was 45yrs ago btw.