HEIGHT AND RUNNING

generally height has to do with how tall you are.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rule (Tergat, Mottram), but in general smaller is better for mid- and long-distance running.

why is this?

it has something to do with heat generation and dissipation. smaller people either generate less heat, or they can dissipate the heat they create better than taller people, i cant remember which it is.

Depends what you define as "taller" and what you define as success. Mottram is about 6'3" I think and he has done fine. There have been one or two gigantic guys (like 6'10") that have been successful at their level of competition. Derek Rozier-Byrd ran low 16's at Holdmel Park in NJ high school, and I think there was a 6'10" runner (forget which university) that was like a 14:20 guy or something.

Having a larger body mass does result in greater heat storage, which decreases performance (have seen Tim Noakes lecture on that, and it is interesting), but that itself should not be a major factor in mid-distance, only long distance. Energetically, it comes down to the power of efficiency/economy... Long legs mean long strides, but also more weight to move through with each stride. I am not aware of any studies which have specifically examined height as the varaible of interest in relation to running performance.

I'm a tall guy, and I'd say i have decent speed, ran 2:01 in high school and about 17 flat for 5k off of no more than 20 miles a week. Now that I've increased training etc and am in college I've improved little in my opinion. I'm 6'4" and wiegh 165 and I attribute my larger, (atleast in running terms) body to my lackluster career. But what can you do, you play with the cards you are dealt.

Bouabdallah Tahri (France) 6.4/143 pounds

800 1:48.96

1500 3:34.85

3000 7:42

3000 steeple 8:06.91

5000 13:24.05

half marathon 66.12

Bob is very tall, but has very good form and great coordination for one so tall.

Not quite as fast as Mottram, 'Bob' often is right there at the bell with the best kenyans, but can't turn those long legs of his fast enough on the last lap - and he usually loses the medals because of that.

If 'Bob' were 5.10 with the same form, I think he would be faster than he is now. It is a disadvantage to be that tall, as he is over reasonable limits.

Mottram is a tad shorter than Tahri, but his form is a little more efficient compared with Bob's and Mottram can take it home a little quicker on the last lap.

Tahri hopes to finish his career as a marathon runner, and it will be strange to see this giant run marathons with runners a whole foot shorter than him!

Ghost in Korea

mr wrote:

it has something to do with heat generation and dissipation. smaller people either generate less heat, or they can dissipate the heat they create better than taller people, i cant remember which it is.

This is the right answer. Body surface area only increases at 2/3 the rate of mass, generally. Shorter guys have a greater ratio of skin/mass and are able to dissipate heat better.

Then why aren't midgets super fast?

It's probably a bell curve-type thing. Runners on either end of the spectrum struggle more. At 5' 9 or 5' 10" you are the optimal height.

On the women's side, Cack Ferrell is very tall. She must be close to 6' 0". She's pretty fast. She can be compared to Sara Hall and Shalane for their height and times (Sara and Shalane's height being more optimal for a woman).

just off the top of my head some 'good'runners under 5'10"

geb-5'6"

k.bekele-5'5"

joe falcon-5'7"

torres brothers-5'7"

meb-5'7"

baldini-5'9"

jon brown-5'8"(?)

lagat-5'8"

simon bairu-5'8"(?)

khalid khannouchi-5'5"

dathan-5'8"

fam-5'9"

webb-5'9"

deano-5'8"(just kidding, thought i'd put him on the list for a laugh)

i think it's more of a function of leg length and mass distribution as opposed to actual height (?)

i will be doing thesis project based off of this. measuring O2 consumption to run 1K in women (b-ball players, soccer players, xc runners)

so i'll get back to you on that one...

hooleyhay wrote:

Then why aren't midgets super fast?

Problems with leg length?

There are many factors that correlate well with distance running. Small stature seems to be an advantage but it is a small one, as there are many good distance runners who are tall.

Or it could entirely be correlation, not causation. Many people from Ethiopia (and to a lesser extent Kenya) are good runners. People from Ethiopia tend to be small. Are they good because they are small? Or because of some other factor (increased oxygen carrying capacity)? Or a combination.

I think I'll use this post as an opportunity to ask a question that I've always wondered about. I saw a picture of Gerry Lindgren and Prefontaine running a cross country race once. I always thought Pre was short but he seemed to tower over Gerry ( like by 3 inches and 25 lbs at least). Does anyone out there know how tall Pre was? I know Gerry was small but I'm still curious.

From the 400 to the 800m height is preferred. 6’0 through 6'4 makes for a much better runner. With the height comes greater stride and with proper training, there will be no competition. Johnny gray 6'4, Jeremy Warner 6'0, Michel Johnson 6'1. Just to name of the few greats. This is just for the long to middle sprints though.

Pre was listed at 5'9". He struggled with his weight as he moved into his twenties and got up to 155 pounds on occasion.

Back in the 1970's, I met Paul Geis who was the number 2 man on the 1973 UO team. He told me more than few great stories about Prefontaine.

I stood next to Pre when he came down to race at Stanford for the Pac 8 (now Pac 10) cross country championships back in 1973. I am 5'7". I would say he was closer to 5'8". Lingren was listed at 5'6" but was closer to 5'5".

geb-5'6"

I always thought he was closer to 5'3" or 5'4"?

Ryan Hall is 5'10".

At the marathon races, any guys taller than 5'10" cannot beat Ryan Hall.

I thought this had been already established? Men elite distance runners are slightly below average height while women elites are just above avg. height for women. Not sure if each ethnicity was taken into account or based on avg. height for all men & women.