Hey all,
Could somebody please help me out on an assignment i am currently doing about why the africans are such good MD/LD runners? I am looking for information based upon things such as their geographical placement, living at altitude, biomechanics, how they are raised, training and also their theories on running / why they run. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
They have an extra muscle in their legs that we don't have. Also they have no fatty foods to hold them back.
They're good because they are black, and all blacks have to be good at sports.
What kind of assignment is due in August
Lifestyle - They (for the most part) run a lot of aerobic volume in their youth, up to 70-100 mpw, including running around chasing goats afterwards. They do very little high intensity work in their youth, and run on soft surfaces without shoes.
Also, Kenyans and Ethiopians, for centuries, have relied on their legs to get them around. Over generations this will encourage the population to be predisposed to running.
Stamina, strength & power yoked together
It sounds like you already know the reasons why they are good:
"...geographical placement, living at altitude, biomechanics, how they are raised, training..."
I don't know. However, I wish I did. I accept all your answers/positions with a sense of bewilderment.
sorry, i was looking for people to expand on my thoughts.
eg -
Why and how does living at altitude improve aerobic performance?
How much do they run as kids?
How much do they run as full time athletes?
What is it about their bodies that makes them built for running? Long legs? Low body fat %? Long slim calves?
How does having a poor diet effect them?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
most of them have a good diet -- all natural and unprocessed foods
If you want to write a great dissertation invest a few hundred bucks in a return ticket to nairobi and go find out for yourself rather than relying on all the second hand information.
Out of curiosity, will universities grant funds to take a trip like that for research?
Adult highschool equiv summer school. I also have to write a paper on birds that can't fly, ie chickens , penguins et.
More mitochondria in their muscle fibres.
Low body weight compared to heart volume, small or light body frames...generally skinny.
Generations of getting around on foot out of necessity, plus living at altitude.
No fast food franchises.
Finally: POVERTY! A high finish at a major marathon or some successful years on the road racing circuit can provide for several years of food, clothing, shelter, etc.
which are things Westerners take for granted.
Remember that the next time you're at the mall and hear some brat or teenager whine about not having Mom & Dad buy them something they "have to have".
watch the movie "endurance" it's on the life story of Haille Geb. It will give you a pretty good insight.
The most important reason, in my opinion, is that they are incredibly driven-they want to escape poverty. They also lead a generally healthy lifestyle-lots of walking, simple foods, etc. Also, on the whole they are very thin people compared to the US. Distance runners are almost always on the thin side, and the Africans have a larger pool of suitable runners to pull from. Genetics also likely have something to do with it, but that hasn't been proven yet-but not much research has been done into it, with the human genome just recently being deciphered.
I would disagree with the commonly made point that almost all young Africans run "70-100 mpw." Some may run, but certainly not that much, at least until they reach high school. Most do have to travel to school, but it is doubtful they run. Paul Tergat didn't start running until his late teens, and never ran to school, and he is perhaps Kenya's greatest runner. The idea that most young African boys run miles to school and back was probably spread as Haile G was rumored to have done it. It also serves as a nice way to intimidate other runners.
you miss the point:
would you say that Tergat sat on his ass and played Nintendo in his youth?
They do lots of aerobic activity in their youth -- they chase goats, they're on their feet and they don't use cars
so you're saying...in order to have a faster running time - you should get a goat and chase it around?
biomechanics, bioemchanics, biomechanics...
Tergat comes from a rich family and had to walk 300m to school everyday, the only sport he played till he started running at the age of 19 was a bit of street basketball here and there.Look at Tergats physique...hyperectomorph.
I've heard for example Japhet Kosgei didnt run or played sports during his youth then started running and after one year of training he ran 62min for the half, some docs who tested him said he has perfect biomechanics for running, very low lower-leg volume.
Ask Renato Canova how tough the Kenyans are, they are as lazy as the typical McAmericanfamily.
help me! wrote:
sorry, i was looking for people to expand on my thoughts.
eg -
Why and how does living at altitude improve aerobic performance?
How much do they run as kids?
How much do they run as full time athletes?
What is it about their bodies that makes them built for running? Long legs? Low body fat %? Long slim calves?
How does having a poor diet effect them?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Let me debunk a myth and a stereotype;
Kenyans do not eat a poor diet. We eat a very healthy diet.
Infact our food is ORGANIC something that cannot be said with the same degree of confidence by the Americans.
Our Chickens feed on Whatever they collect on the ground; grass, worms, grasshopers, plants, maize/corn e.t.c.
OUr cows/goats feed on grass and plants. We do very little zero grazing. We rarely give them processed food.
OUr milk is straight from the cow to the kitchen unless one lives in towns and cities.
Most Kenyans only eat out when they are travelling. we don't have eateries like McD, Wendy's e.t.c. e.t.c. We mostly have meat roasting (barbeque dens).
Yes due to various income levels some people may not have alot to eat, but the little that we have is first class and to this day, I miss it.
Another note; Due to the education levels of some parents (not all), hte benefit of a balanced diet may not be accrued but by and large, most kenyans, I'd say well over 60% eat a balanced diet of Starch/carbohydrates, proteins and Vitamins.
It is also important to understand that most families own a shamba (farm/garden) where they grow their crops. We hardly go to the stores for vegetables, maize/corn, kidney beans, milk, eggs e.t.c. e.t.c. We grow them and even those that we buy are by and large not unprocessed.
I just wanted to clarify a general misunderstanding. Our food is great.