Running 95% genetic?

It is 99% genetics. More than 99% of the worlds’ population could do the same training as Farrah and never come within 2 minutes of his 5k PR. 95% wouldn’t come within 5 minutes.

I've never met nor do I really know much about the elites. I do know I've seen kids come out of our athletics program who had no natural talent and yet accomplish much and kids with great talent that accomplished very little. I think the greatest that you know and have heard of probably had great genetics and also worked hard.

Cruz Culpepper seems to have walked put of his house one day and become a well-known name. Was that all genetics?

The guy that won Boston doesn't look like he's got much going on genetically and he runs the weirdest schedule and yet...

My own child started running XC in middle school. Ran a 15 min 2 mile. The top runners would be in the low 13s that year. Out of about 25 girls from our school that ran she landed about 15th. By the end of the year she'd maybe reached 10th. But by end of 8th grade she was the often 2nd female (out of our school, definitely not in the race) but was district runner up at the last race of that year. I don't think she was gifted a whole lot of genetics except for being petite. She was absolutely born with stubborn drive and it has gotten her to state 3 times (twice in xc, once in track).

We have a 5 time golf medal winning male that says running in the summer is for the birds. So.... there's always people on both sides.

Karl La Verdad wrote:

Any world-class athlete in any sport is genetically gifted; they are just "different" from the rest of us. Yes, focus, discipline, drive, training, etc. are also important, but without the right genetic foundation all those other factors become meaningless; it would be like trying to build a house in a swamp.

Over the years I've heard numerous "inspirational" stories to the effect of how so-and-so was so uncoordinated he couldn't even walk properly in junior high, but then he followed his dream and trained hard and became a world beater. Nonsense.

What you either don't mention or seem to miss is that having focus, discipline, drive, dedication, is, in itself, a talent needed to be a world class athlete in any sport. Is that genetic or learned?

Over the years I have seen numerous athletes with gobs of natural ability who are "different" than the rest of us who fail to become world class. So those who have all that 'natural ability' but not the discipline/drive needed as well are simply average just like the "rest of us". The fact is, to be the world's best you need it all.

One thing everyone seems to miss is that genetics isn't just physical ability, it's mental. Take Kipchoge, without his unbelievable dedication he would never have come close to achieving what he has. People always say "oh X is an unbelievable talent if only he trained properly" or "Y is so talented but injury prone" . That's part of genetics too and just as important. How much someone can be trained to be self-disciplined no one knows, but just like physical ability it's not something you can teach everyone.

Quick Question: Have you done that? Because unless you HAVE done that, you cannot say you have. Trails are brutally hard and slow.

Stopcecil! wrote:

Quick Question: Have you done that? Because unless you HAVE done that, you cannot say you have. Trails are brutally hard and slow.

Exactly!

People keep saying fast road runners will be good trail runners. Does not translate so easily.

geneticwhatnow wrote:

I ran 3:32 for a 50k ultra on a difficult course in 85 degree heat and I do not talk about it amongst friend because I know they could have done it quicker.

Define difficult.

Just for your info Killian was just few minutes faster on the same course. So your 50k time must have been on a LOT LOT LOT easier course.

And you're 99% BS, but dont you worry because you are still a 100% moron.

I am a tall, skinny, white kid, with parents who are not very tall and not very skinny. None of my grandparents were athletes let alone went to college. One of my parents played a high school sport, and not very well at that.

After 5 years of training, I ran under 14:10 for the 5000. Running is not all genetics.

ddewwd wrote:

I am a tall, skinny, white kid, with parents who are not very tall and not very skinny. None of my grandparents were athletes let alone went to college. One of my parents played a high school sport, and not very well at that.

After 5 years of training, I ran under 14:10 for the 5000. Running is not all genetics.

Maybe the mailman is your father?

Let me try this post again, I fat fingered a lot of the letters last time...

I believe that genetic talent to perform at an elite level is far more common than we think. What is far more rare are the character traits that take great genetics and make great athletes: focus, hard training, taking care of yourself, and sacrificing to be the best. Those traits are very rare.

This summer I coached a swim team. Perhaps 15 - 20 kids showed up semi-regularly, and out of those, I would say 2-3 have the ability to swim at the collegiate level if they chose to do so. That is a very small sample of potential talent, yet right there are gifted athletes that I made no effort to recruit. They just showed up.

However I am unsure if any are committed enough, or if their families are prepared to sacrifice as well, because parents have to be on board too.

Karl La Verdad wrote:

it would be like trying to build a house in a swamp

I built a literal house in a literal swamp and it figurtively sucked, but it's possible

ddewwd wrote:

I am a tall, skinny, white kid, with parents who are not very tall and not very skinny. None of my grandparents were athletes let alone went to college. One of my parents played a high school sport, and not very well at that.

After 5 years of training, I ran under 14:10 for the 5000. Running is not all genetics.

A bunch of my family members over the past five or six years have taken DNA tests. So, so different the results than what my grandparents and great grandparents stated to be our family origin. One does not really know.

Bad news buddy; life is 95% genetics. Running is no exception.

Of course it is. And given that mitochondria are inherited from the mother, it's primarily a maternally inherited trait.

Genetic wrote:

Recently I saw a 50k ultra where the winner finished in 5hrs. 4000m elevation gain and 4000 elevation loss over rocky technical terrain .

With no amount of training I could come close to that time.

I get the feelings fast runners are genetically blessed and hard training is just polishing of the raw diamond.

What say you?

To dismiss genetics and be all 2018 PC saying hard work beats talent blah blah, yes, to a point I'll agree. Genetics are a massive factor in all sports. If you don't possess a specific base line whether body type, efficient mitochondria, vo2max, bone structure with lean muscle mass, all the training you put in, IMO will have a glass ceiling. Even more important than the physical abilities once you get to the elite level is preparation and mindset. If you don't have it between the ears, you'll only go so far, so the true elties really do connect the mind and body in ways 98% can't comprehend. What you do with those inherited tools is totally up to the athlete though.

The faster you get, the more genetics matter.

Why do you assume the traits I highlighted above are not genetic? People seem to assume physical traits when talking about genetics, but you have to remember that mental traits are just the result of physical processes in our brains and are also very much subject to genetics.

At some point all sports are at a point, genetic.

Shaq would never ever be a good cyclist or distance runner. There's a reason most linebackers look like Ray Lewis, there's a reason most gymnast are of similar size and build.