How fast were your parents?

genetics wrote:

It seems that much of running performance is based on genetics. So tell me, how fast were your parents? And how fast are you?

Genetics are a lie. Get with the program.

My dad ran about a 5 flat mile in high school. My brother and I both ran 4:30ish in HS.

What about running makes it seem like genetics are involved?

My parents were about as fast as a herd of turtles. I'm not very fast, but at least fast enough to get into Boston.

My parents never ran competitively. My dad jumped in a 5k for the hell of it in his late 50s and ran 23:xx off of almost no training, which I was fairly impressed with.

Clue me In wrote:

What about running makes it seem like genetics are involved?

So are you saying that if you trained as hard as Kenenisa Bekele you would be as fast as him? Of course not. Hard work plays an important role, but so does genetics.

My dad could down a six pack faster than your dad.

There is a certain body/physique more speed friendly than others. We find that type of body/physique in abundance in those with roots to western Africa. Yes it is about genetics.

Blacks from western Africa do possess unique physical characteristics more suited for athlectic events that require speed, quickness, agility than those not from that region of the world.

Yes I kno... "well what about...

Valery Borzov

Pietro Mennea

Hal Davis

Bobby Morrow

Slim Frenchy

Wes Welker

....what about them? For every Valery Borzov there are a ton of Bob Hayes, Jimmy Hines, Tommie Smith..etc etc etc etc etc.

TCU has had six black sub10.00 sprinters among their alumni, Asia-O, the white world-1.

My parents were both decent runners. I'm not too shabby myself. My brother is slow as shit though.

Mom wasn't an athlete, dad was a baseball player who claims to run 20:00 for a 4 mile run. I'm a 9:52, 4:36 senior.

Dad lied!

My parents were both skinny as hell in their 20's. Dad was 6-1, 140. Mom was 5-4, 100. I somehow ended up 6-2, 160 with massive quads. How this happened, I do not know.

Both claimed to be fast, but I doubt them.

Dad was a 49 second 400m runner... Mom isn't athletic

Ive ran 2:29 in the marathon at 20 years old

My parents like to say I was the byproduct of the worst 37 seconds of their lives.

Novo wrote:

Dad was a 49 second 400m runner... Mom isn't athletic

Ive ran 2:29 in the marathon at 20 years old

"I've RUN 2:29 in the marathon..."

You couldn't have paid my parents to run either for health or for competition. My dad was a good basketball and football player. My mum's family were unathletic, fat, and died early from heart troubles.

I have a cousin who did 1:54 for the 800 in a brief college career and a couple others who were "just finish" kinds of marathoners. I managed things like 15:33, 32:20 and 2:35 but never ran any distance above the 440 at better than 6:00 mile pace in high school and needed three years before I beat another runner who actually finished a race.

I'm a 37 year old female who recently ran 65:31 for 10 miles.

I'm the only one in my family who runs. I have no idea if my parents have any athletic ability, simply because they don't care about sports, and have never played anything. They both try to park at the far side of the parking lot, but that's pretty much the extent of their physical activity. Same holds true for my extended family (also a major history of diabetes on both sides).

Both of my parents were basketball players and played small D2/D3 ball.

I doubt either of them (in their 50s) could now run 400 meters without stopping. My dad claims to have run a 11 second 100. Not sure if that was yards or meters.

By dad can still beat me at 1-on-1 basketball (that fade away jumper in our driveway is unstoppable). My mom now golfs and shoots mid 80s.

I, likewise, am just semi-athletic. Played football, baseball, and track in HS before focusing on running in college. 49/1:54 prs.

genetics wrote:

Clue me In wrote:

What about running makes it seem like genetics are involved?

So are you saying that if you trained as hard as Kenenisa Bekele you would be as fast as him? Of course not. Hard work plays an important role, but so does genetics.

What about genetics has anything to do with it?