Do the workouts. Run the race. Weigh yourself and see.
What you weigh has nothing to do with the average weight of other women.
Do the workouts. Run the race. Weigh yourself and see.
What you weigh has nothing to do with the average weight of other women.
Deena is 5'4" and 105. That said, don't try to get down to a certain weight. That's a good way to start down the wrong path. Do this instead:
idealist wrote:
Do the workouts. Run the race. Weigh yourself and see.
What you weigh has nothing to do with the average weight of other women.
I posted this list a few months back on a different message board. Includes men as well.
Here are the average heights and weights of the top 10 in the world in 2005 for the various distances. Bottom line: you'd better stop eating right now!
MEN
400 meters: 6'1" 168
800 meters: 5'10" 146
1500 meters: 5'9" 139
3000 meters: 5'6" 126
5000 meters: 5'7" 125
10,000 meters: 5'4" 117
Marathon: 5'7" 129
WOMEN
400 meters: 5'7" 130
800 meters: 5'6" 128
1500 meters: 5'3" 108
3000 meters: 5'3" 100
5000 meters: 5'3" 104
10,000 meters: 5'4" 105
Marathon: 5'3" 104
Noteworthy Individuals
Jeremy Wariner (#1 at 400 meters): 6'2" 148
Bernard Lagat (#2 at 1500 & new American citizen): 5'8" 134
Alan Webb (#7 at 1500): 5'8" 141
Keninisa Bekele (Eth) (#1 at 3000, 5,000, and 10,000): 5'3" 119
Xavier Carter (LSU) (#6 at 200 meters): 6'2" 190
Haile Gebrselassie (Eth) (#3 at marathon): 5'4" 117
Paul Tergat (WR holder at marathon): 6'0" 134
Walter Davis (USA) (#4 at TJ): 6'2" 183
Paula Radcliffe (UK) (#1 & WR holder at marathon): 5'8" 119
Deena Kastor (#5 at marathon & American Record holder): 5'4" 106
Radcliffe, BTW, is as tall as or taller than 8 of the 10 top ranked men marathoners, and she is "heavier" than 2 of the 10.
There are plenty of official websites with have the stats of their countries elite athletes.
For the UK go to
you'll have to be anorexic if you want to reach 90 pounds. and don't be surprised if you don't have enough energy to run.
90-95 is too low. You should be around 102-106. There, I've said it.
liquori wrote:5000 meters: 5'7" 125Cool. I'm the right height to set a 5000 record. I guess I'll need to lose 20+ lbs first though... :-(
idealist wrote:
Do the workouts. Run the race. Weigh yourself and see.
Totally agree. I always like Marty Liquori's comments when asked about weight.
"If you want to know what your ideal race weight is, eat well, get in the best shape you can, and run a PR. Immediately after running your PR, weigh yourself. Whatever the number is, that's your ideal race weight."
Running Gal wrote:I am 5'2" marathoner and want to know what is the optimal range of how much I should weigh. I think 90-95 lbs is ideal. And NO this is NOT being Anorexic.I don't think a 5'2" woman should be trying to get under a hundred pounds. I love the Liquori quote (as an ideal). And I DO think you should be concerned about anorexia if you're thinking of dropping to 90-95 pounds. I think there's WAY too much emphasis on losing weight to get faster, particularly for women runners, and it's NOT healthy.
I can vouch for one 5'2" female 2.35 runner who weighs 96-98lbs all year round. When she goes to 93lbs, things start to go wrong and she gets more niggles and wants more easy days between hard sessions.
Can you do this - Decrease your calorie intake but take daily vitamins, iron, and calcium supplements to make sure you are getting all the nutrients and NOT compromise your health?
I have a smaller frame and when I tell people my ideal weight is 90-95 lbs, they freak out because it's under 100 lbs. But I'm sure there are many 5'2" and under women who are in that range.
And how come it seems that when male athletes drop weight that they don't compromise their health or put themselves at risk? And when women lose weight, they tend to be at risk for all sorts of things like osteoporosis, stress fractures, more prone to injuries, etc.
The problem with the Liquori quote is that many girls/women get a short-term performance boost even when seriously underweight, only to "crash-and-burn" after a year or two or three (e.g. the HS girls distance record-holders who fell apart when they got to college).
razor's edge wrote:
The problem with the Liquori quote is that many girls/women get a short-term performance boost even when seriously underweight, only to "crash-and-burn" after a year or two or three (e.g. the HS girls distance record-holders who fell apart when they got to college).
Hence the "eat well" part of the quote.
Running Gal wrote:
Can you do this - Decrease your calorie intake but take daily vitamins, iron, and calcium supplements to make sure you are getting all the nutrients and NOT compromise your health?
No. There are many things that you cannot get in pill form - you can only get them from food.
And girls who are 5' or less probably can weigh less than 100lbs with no problems, but you're 5'2", so you should be weighing around 100lbs+.
Why do you think your ideal weight is 90-95 lbs?
also, if you "know" that your ideal weight is 90-95 lbs, why are you asking what elite women runners should weigh?
the problem with comparing your weight to someone elses is that you don't know how your bone structure compares to others. bigger bones equal more weight. don't shoot for a number, train, eat healthy and the rest will take care of itself.
Ana: Leave Running Gal alone - she said she wanted lose weight but stay healthy and take vitamins and supplements.
Just because you have an eating disorder \"ana = anorexic\", doesn\'t mean that you have to badger someone for wanting to achieve their optimal runnning performance.
Zat0pek wrote:
Totally agree. I always like Marty Liquori's comments when asked about weight.
"If you want to know what your ideal race weight is, eat well, get in the best shape you can, and run a PR. Immediately after running your PR, weigh yourself. Whatever the number is, that's your ideal race weight."
Right on! If you train hard and eat A LOT, your body will naturally settle at what's 'ideal' FOR YOU.
Running Gal wrote:
I am 5'2" marathoner and want to know what is the optimal range of how much I should weigh. I think 90-95 lbs is ideal. And NO this is NOT being Anorexic.
I'd like to know how much some of the elite women weigh? Can anyone give stats for women?
Who gives a friggin shit? If you screw with your metabolism by trying to weigh 90 pounds, your body will try to conserve energy and you will eventually weigh more than you do now. Don't mess with Mother Nature. Be happy with what God gave you. And by the way, the weight range that you so desire yields BMIs in the range of 16.5-17.4, which clinicians consider to be anorectic weights.