the american runners of yesteryear look leaner than today's guys

steroids and mcdonalds?

but yet are faster...go figure...

I always chuckled when people would say Bob Kennedy looked like he could lose a few pounds as he was breaking 13 minutes for the 5K.

Everybody looked leaner back then. Check your family photo albums. Even male movie stars were leaner back then (Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Don Knotts).

It's that evil demon HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, I tell you.

Whose faster other than immigrants from Afirca and Webb?

Who's faster other than immigrants from Afirca and Webb?

HRE wrote:

Whose faster other than immigrants from Afirca and Webb?

Your joking right???

Look at the top ten times this year in just about any event.

Then look back at the top times in the 70's and 80's

You can even take out the immigrants. Today's runners are faster all across the board.

You might have one or two old timers breaking in the top ten but if you team scored it then the runners of today would beat the runners from the 70s and 80s.

Nenow is still the fastest American over 10,000 meters born to American parents. The same is true for Kennedy at 5,000 meters. Ryan Hall is the only marathoner under 2:08 born to American parents since Kempanainen, Salazar and Beardsley.

Who's faster?

HRE wrote:

Nenow is still the fastest American over 10,000 meters born to American parents. The same is true for Kennedy at 5,000 meters. Ryan Hall is the only marathoner under 2:08 born to American parents since Kempanainen, Salazar and Beardsley.

Who's faster?

Ryan did not break 2:08. Perhaps you meant 2:09. Salazar was not born to American parents. In fact, he himself was not born in the U.S.

I actually think very few of the top guys in the '70s or early'80s did much in the way of weight work or"core" work.

I said take the top 10 times from now and compare them to the 70's and 80's and today's guys would win in a team competition even if you took out the immigrants.

I never said certain individuals from that time period wouldn't be in the top ten.

And to keep our facts straight Kennedy is from the 90's not from the 70's and 80's so you can't claim him.

The marathon is probably the only event that the guys from the 70's and 80's would be competitive with today's runners.

And in no way am I taking away from the guys in the 70's and 80's. Things are changing in America and American runners are finally getting faster which says a lot about the older guys.

Tim Conway wrote:

Everybody looked leaner back then. Check your family photo albums. Even male movie stars were leaner back then (Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Don Knotts).

It's that evil demon HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, I tell you.

yep - we've gotten fat. :(

Yes. I meant 2:09. Thanks. Rough day on the keyboard.