Friend disagrees with me on what a pro marathon runner weighs

Bekele is pushing 145 these days and well under 5'9"

If we're talking super elite Ethiopian and Kenyan men, I'd say 115lbs-130lbs. From the 5'3"-6'2". Tall white guys, 130-135, but there are very few white guys competing for major wins.

Tell your friend an African marathoner is like a two week old corpse on a crash diet.....with EPO.

You are both a bit off. Meb is 5'6" and he raced around 120. The other poster who mentioned 130 for 5'9" is right. Obviously some variation but 5'9" and 145 is too heavy. 120 for 5'9" is unlikely.

Marathon Runner wrote:

Okay so i have a friend who is 5'9" and about 145. The other day he tells me he plans on running a marathon in the future. He goes on to say that he weighs around what a pro marathon runner would weigh. I laugh at him and tell him that a 5'9" pro marathon runner would weigh anywhere between 115 to 125 pounds. He still does not believe me.

He's close enough, especially if he's white and talking about other non-African folks.

Yuki and Feyisa Lilesa are about that height and weight. Though most elite level marathoners at that height are around 120-130 ibs. Though there are a few a bit heaver. Just focus on running high mileage and you'll get that lean naturally.

According to a quick google search,

Dathan Ritzenhein 5'8 121

Galen Rupp 5'11 134

Patrick Makau, 5'7 121

Alan Webb 5'8 145, I now he's not a marathon, but he had way more muscle than a normal distance runner, especially a marathoner.

So OP you are right. Please tell your friend, "I told you so," for me.

Yeah he's definitely heavier than a typical elite marathoner.

You’re both wrong. Ryan Hall weighs 180# and he’s faster than any of you dweebs.

Allie Kiefer - 5 ft 4 in, 130 lbs - 2:28

Derek Clayon - 6 ft 2 in, 160 lbs - 2:09 (1967)

They are exceptions tho, for most people to be really good at marathon they need to be very skinny.

You could probably find someone in running history who had a comparable height and weight, but it’s moot.

I’m guessing that your friend’s body composition is significantly different than a pro runner at the same weight.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

Allie Kiefer - 5 ft 4 in, 130 lbs - 2:28

Derek Clayon - 6 ft 2 in, 160 lbs - 2:08 (1967)

They are exceptions tho, for most people to be really good at marathon they need to be very skinny.

Fixed it.

A Cow’s Opinion wrote:

You could probably find someone in running history who had a comparable height and weight

A few that come to mind:

Dick Tayler who is most remembered for winning the 10000m at the 74 Commonwealth games. He ran like a 2:16 or 2:17 marathon. He was around 5'9 and 140 ibs.

Yuki Kawauchi weight fluctuates between 137-146 ibs according to that NY Times article on him.

Feyisa Lilesa from what I've seen is about 5'9 and 148 ibs.

George Young who held many American records in the the 60s, was 5'8.5 and 140 ibs.

Good thread here on average height and weight of marathoners. Though I'm for sure it has changed a bit being over a decade old. It had the average height and weight being 5'7.75 and 129.5 ibs. Interesting, some point out the best marathoners listed. The heaver ones did better in the heat. While there are pros to being lighter, there are cons like being more fragile.

Marathon Runner wrote:

Okay so i have a friend who is 5'9" and about 145. The other day he tells me he plans on running a marathon in the future. He goes on to say that he weighs around what a pro marathon runner would weigh. I laugh at him and tell him that a 5'9" pro marathon runner would weigh anywhere between 115 to 125 pounds. He still does not believe me.

My former football teammates and friends see me at a leaner 180 these days say I look skinny, regular running friends ranging from 140-155 tell me I am a big runner. The irony.

I never understood how small marathon runners frames were until I looked more into this topic. I know the guy gets some hate on these boards, but Patrick Cutter (irun26point2 on IG) really is an interesting specimen in road marathoning. He's not elite, but to even be running low 2:30s at his frame, something like 5'9 185 really is strong, very strong.

I think somebody like him could have some strong durability on the trails once he's done chasing marathon times. Would love to see him crack sub 2:30 eventually.

Your friend sounds like your typical Normie hobby jogger.

How tall is Ryan Hall? He said he wants to get to 200#, but it's a challenge. If I wanted, I could easily get to 200#, but maybe not with muscle. See the interview on LRC's Boston coverage. It's pretty funny.

Hall's a beast! wrote:

How tall is Ryan Hall? He said he wants to get to 200#, but it's a challenge. If I wanted, I could easily get to 200#, but maybe not with muscle. See the interview on LRC's Boston coverage. It's pretty funny.

He's 5'10". He said at his best he was 137. Then he got down to 127 in an attempt to mirror all the East African guys, and has regrets over that.

A few years ago, I did a warmup jog behind a group of B-level Kenyans prior to our local marathon.

I'd seen pictures of Kenyan marathoners, of course, but I was shocked at how skinny they were in real life. Their lower legs were nothing but bones covered with skin, except for a tiny calf muscle right below the knee that was about the size... not exaggerating... of a half of a tennis ball.

We were about the same height. I weighed about 135. These guys were 100-110 pounds.

How tall are you? I'm 6' 148 lbs. I can't imagine getting skinnier, but elites my height are like 130-135 apparently. That's 20 sec per mile advantage. I think it's a mistake to get that light though. I ran better at 154lbs to be honest.