Running Identical Twins

There was a pair a identical twins on the team when my daughter ran. They were the worst runners on a bad team.

Good to know.

Quite often, identical twins tend to be very similar and have similar interests (not always, but often). One of the hardest parts about becoming successful in anything is having someone to support you and give you the push you need at times. Twins often provide that support for each other. Instead of a "me trying to conquer the world" approach that most of us feel, it is an "us trying to conquer the world".

I ran with a set of identical twins in high school that were good at everything (class president, valedictorian, state qualifiers in XC and downhill skiing, both are now doctors). They are both very high goal setters and thrived off a friendly competition with each other. I'm pretty certain that had they been a "single", they wouldn't have been as successful.

On the other hand, I had a set of identical twins that I coached a few years back. They tended to push each other and became a lot better (both ended up being state qualifiers in XC) as they got older. However, by their senior year, one of them got very complacent and was just kind of floating through his senior year. The other brother was still working hard to improve and started to break away from his brother in workouts (they had always run together). After a few weeks, the faster one slowed down in workouts and started running with his brother again. I found out later that the slower one had been harassing his brother to stop making him look bad.

The twin thing can work both ways. They can help each other rise to heights they wouldn't be able to do alone or they can hold each other back. I also had a an identical twin that ran for me whose sister didn't run at all. Although they looked alike and had similar values, their personalities and interests were very different. When it comes down to it all, although twins are genetically the same, they are still individual people.

The O'Neill sisters from Massachusetts are both national caliber NCAA athletes and are identical . . . they push themselves tremendously and the Yale coach has to put them in separate events (one does 1500-5000, other does 5000-1000) or else it would get a little crazy.

Ed Grant the New Jersey guru noted an exceptional high school 4x400 (sub 3:20) that is made up of TWO sets of twins I think . . .

Very true that they are individuals. Come to think of it, on my high school team there was a set of identical twin pole vaulters, and they both sucked - I had forgotten about them.

Must be extra pressure being a twin. If you aren't as acheiving as the other one, everyone will think you just don't try as hard or are lazy.

I know a set of twins that are very different. One is a legitimate masseuse, and the other is a porn star - oh wait a minute, that's a Friends episode - nevermind.

There is also the Guiney sisters from NJ who are at BC.

I think you notice the twins for two reasons. If they are good runners you notice them. If they are twins they really stick out.

Where are you going to read about a set of twins who are the 11th and 12th best runners on a xc team?

Wejo and Rojo have turned some decent times.

Oh yeah! I wasn't even thinking of them!

Mastilars (?), Castros, Sohs, all Naalis

Assuma(SP?) also.

Quote from Stepay: "Come to think of it, on my high school team there was a set of identical twin pole vaulters, and they both sucked . . ."

LMAO!!!!!!

Just my luck. You find something I said funny even when I wasn't trying to be. My point there was that I had said it seemed that twins were always good, but I had forgotten about these two who weren't.

Glad you got a good laugh out of it though.

I know of two male identical twins from the East coast who ran 4:29 or so in high school. They went to separate colleges. After 4 years of ups and downs they met up in an end of year championship race and the race came down to about a stride - they ran 4:09 for the mile that day.

I remember reflecting on how similar their results turned out to be although they trained differently and had different environments for four years.

Makes you wonder whey we all do what we do - put us in different training environments and we come out the same. Maybe beyond a certain level of training the body doesn't react anymore and that ceiling is just the ceiling no matter what you do.

there are plenty sets of twins out there. To say twins are uncommonly fast and state a few examples is dumb. I'd say the sdame percentages of twins run as everyone else, its just that the fact that they are twins is what is appealing.

Guam,

No need to jump all over me. I didn't say they were all fast. I know some twins who are huge and fat and couldn't run a mile to save their lives. Was just making an observation about those twins who do run and how it APPEARS that they are always great. By asking the question I did ask about it probably being because we notice it when there are TWO of them, it is pretty obvious that I had considered that. I suppose like with any athletes, we remember the good/great ones and don't really remember the mediocre/poor ones. Anyway, everyone else had something of interest to say. Too bad you didn't join that group. Maybe next time.

Damn Stepay,

One person offers his opinion about the topic and immediately you are all over it. I got a question for you. Do you stay on these message boards all day and hit the refresh button continuously? Every time I come on here your name is, by far, the one that I see most frequently. Find another hobby.

John and Paul Craig from Toronto, Canada. Both sub 4 milers in the 1970's, Paul (3:57.21pb) seemed to generally beat John (3:58.05pb), although by looking at the two of them, I could never quite figure out why...

HBK,

Nope. I just enjoy running, I know a bit about it but not everything, so I come here to read and learn and to offer an opinion on things I know about, and the flow of work in my day affords me the opportunity to do so. Sorry that that has offended you, but I can't figure out why. Peace to you brother.