In Gidey's WR 5,000 attempt the 4 front runners are wearing shorts and the ladies WAY behind are wearing the bikini shorts.

Africans are more conservative in general, although some select Ethiopian women sure looked good in low rise bikini bottoms

The 2 fastest American women are Monson and Cranny, both who wear the regular shorts. I would tell the other women - Stop with the bikini bottoms and put some clothes on. They don't make you any faster.

Yes, but they are appropriate attire for bringing up the rear

If you can't make it on performance alone then what other options do they have?

Ummm.... wear bikini shorts?

They are not "regular" shorts. Nikki Hiltz wears regular shorts. They are high-rise half-tights -normal for many women and girls, especially for training. Sifan Hassan wears a longer version of these half-tights. Men (especially 800m runners) wear a full (to just above the knee) half tight.

Many women wear the bikini bottom (bunhuggers) type for racing. It has little to do with where you place in a race. Some also wear one-piece version outfits for racing (Reekie, Hodgkinson until recently, and sprinters often) just as the Ingebrigtsen's wear, although the latter is a longer half-tight version.

There is a muslim women (Turkey) in the steeple who wears a hijab and full tights. As stated, the Ethiopians (perhaps African women in general?) tend to be more conservative.

Plenty of College women wear racing "briefs" (bunhuggers). To call these ladies "sluts" for doing so, says more about the poster than the ladies.

freewater Fred you are my favorite Mullah.

Not sure whether ladies In short hair or long, dye jobs or plain, neck bling or not have an advantage. Studies are needed.

What’s with the ridiculous music in this video?

What are you even talking about, those are also bun huggers just with a straighter cut.

Thanks for this. It's 100% correct. Though Hiltz vacillates between shorts and buns. It's basically whatever works best for people. I ran a 5k yesterday, not in buns but close (2.5 inch spandex shorts). I get it now. Way, way more freedom of movement in the legs with the shorter inseam. And whether you prefer spandex to a looser fitting material is just personal preference, so really who gives a crap, let them wear buns, or booty shorts or half tights or full blown leggings. Whatever works. Also at the world champs, I noticed several men sporting booty shorts (i.e. spandex with 3" or less inseams). I think it's all converging on unisex running bottoms anyway.

And Emily Sisson just wins the 20k national championship going away in the bikini shorts. By OP's logic everybody should start wearing those shorts! Who needs super shoes when you have super shorts?!?

Katir wears quarter tights

Most of the Ethiopian runners are devout Christian’s. Look online for NN runnings background video of Gidey prior to her marathon debut in Valencia. In this she states that wearing long or short trousers is in violation of her culture and religion and that she had to ask permission of her father in order to wear long tights and shorts for training even! - Now given this is one of the worlds foremost female distance runners it demonstrates how deep the conservative culture and religious alignment permeates throughout their lives.

having said this some Athletes also from the from the Tigray region (Tsegay) do run in bikini style pants with cropped tops.

I think lots of women are wearing tiny shorts so they won't be accused of being trans on this website.

In the past when I have seen Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar, and Guduf Tsegay wearing tiny little shorts I often wondered how much faster they would have run if they had been wearing something more modest. Some of these trollops even have the audacity to show their navels. Appalling! I can't even watch a track meet with my kids anymore without exposing them to this kind of filth.

This must not happen. Don't want to see it. And don't bother with the trope that not wanting to see it really means wanting to see it.

You can wear short shorts, you can wear half tights, but not short tights. That's the rule. Start making exceptions, and before you know it they'll be out there in mankinis.