Do fast parents= fast kids?

If the parents were fast because of talent, it will likely pass on.

I think it plays a pretty large role. For example Centro and his dad as well a Lisa/Katie rainsberger. This doesn't mean that having I athletic parents will make it impossible for you to be a good runner, but genetic plays a huge role.

Only if you do it like horses over multiple generations

Genetics played a roll in my family. Father was a two time all american, mother was a very good tennis / volley ball player. Myself and two sisters were very good in HS as all three of us attained multi all state honors with limited (almost no) training. I'm the only one who cared to run in college, both sisters weren't interested in the sport past HS. My career pr's are way faster than my fathers and according to his training logs he worked harder than me to get there.

But I think BOTH parents play the roll. My father had limited speed (although he did run a 4:08 indoor mile), but both sisters and I had wheels. So obviously that gene came from out mother.

It's actually role, not roll.

Fast parents increases your chances but does not guarantee them.

I have thought about compiling a list of fast parents and fast kids or maybe just very athletic parents and kids since the latter could be different sports. (David Robinson's kid played football at Notre Dame for instance).

It seems to me that genetics have to play some role. We know that mitochondrial DNA is passed from the mom to the children and that plays a role in how the mitochondria functions.

The tricky part is when you have a fast kid whose parents never exercised much. Maybe they are fast, but they never tried running or another sport.

Can anyone think of a kid of a well-known sprinter who became a distance runner? Or the kid of a well-known distance runner who was a sprinter? Instead of well-known use successful. I can think of kids of sprint/power athletes who were also sprint/power and same for endurance.

There is also the nurture aspect of growing up around the sport. Centro is a good example. I have to think he absorbed tons of subtle information on training and racing just from overhearing conversations. Same for Taylor Phinney in cycling (mom and dad were both top level cyclists). Barry Bonds had to learn so much from his dad and hanging around the clubhouse as a kid.

It could be a good topic for a book...

Jordan Hasay's mom was very active

You plant corn, you get corn!

Chronically injured parents = injured kids. All about genetics; those with good genetics get far less injured than those with bad genetics 😔.

Whooty wrote:

Myself and two sisters were very good in HS as all three of us attained multi all state honors with limited (almost no) training.

This is why working insanely hard at it running is fine, but when the genetically gifted show up, it is SO discouraging.

Thunder Thighs wrote:

Chronically injured parents = injured kids. All about genetics; those with good genetics get far less injured than those with bad genetics 😔.

Care to share data on that.

luv2run wrote:

Thunder Thighs wrote:

Chronically injured parents = injured kids. All about genetics; those with good genetics get far less injured than those with bad genetics 😔.

Care to share data on that.

Ask and you shall receive luv2run (btw, I also love 2 run when I'm not injured 😕).

I was fast and one kid matched me. Another kid will probably be faster. So yes.

I know a 2:11 marathoner that married a girl who ran 4:29 for the indoor mile in college.

Both of their boys are very slow. Been running since they were 8 or 9 now are about 15/18 I believe. They run around 22- 23 minutes for 5k.

Jimmy21 wrote:

If the parents were fast because of talent, it will likely pass on.

It's possible that's for sure as mentioned in the anology with horse racing. What is seldom talked about is the mental side of the sport or the mind set of an elite athlete. Those characteristics (mindset) are hardwired as well. I know the self help book people won't like that but it true as well. Lately Jim Afremow books have been getting a lot of attention. After reading both of his books I concluded much of what he rights about is innate, though sometimes it may need to be kick started!

Choose your parents wisely!

Really depends. I went to school with the kids of a very good marathoner. One of the kids was a 1:50 800m guy. The other was a 350lb thrower.

A lot of luck goes into which genes you happen to get. Also, we tend to label traits as "genetic" if they appear to be innate, but separating nature from nurture isn't really that simple. Did the 350lb thrower mentioned above have drastically different genes from his brother, or did he just happen to have a slightly different hormone mix in the womb that set him on a different trajectory than his brother?

I would answer yes, but with the caveat that the offspring actually have a desire to run and see that it has value so they put in some degree of work necessary to succeed.

Great genetics w/o motivation won't work, but having terrible genetics and great motivation won't work that well either.

Yes parents do pass on genes but the chances that a child will be even remotely as fast as the parent are remote. In some cases the child has two parents who were Olympic medalists but cannot even come close to emulating either parent.

Most world class athletes do not have children who are even remotely world class. So NO. You absolutely cannot gauge potential based on the parents.

I'm not fast. My husband is not fast. We're both athletic. But my daughter is pretty fast. Just started running this year in 7th grade xc with no experience (except soccer) and ran a 12:01 minute 3200. My best marathon time is 3:56 and that just about killed me! I've been know to go as slow as 4:30. My dad was a professional baseball player in the 60's but not a runner. So there are "athletic genes" in the mix but no speeedy runners in either family as far as we know.