Metabolic Cooking

Elite Marathon Runners: Form in Slow-Motion

May 28, 2012   //   by James Dunne   //   Running Technique Advice  //  2 Comments

I recently came across this great slow-motion footage, shot in the final 800m of the 2011 Boston Marathon. These videos provide a great opportunity to take a look at the running form of some of the world’s top distance runners.

Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) & Moses Mosop (KEN)

These two Kenyan athletes finished 1st (2:03:02)and 2nd (2:03:06) respectively. Mutai is in Green…

Caroline Kilel (KEN), Sharon Cherop (KEN) & Desiree Davila (USA)

Kilel, closest to camera, went on to win the Women’s race (2:22:36). With Cherop finishing 3rd (2:22:42), and Davila 2nd (2:22:38).

Ryan Hall (USA) & Gebre Gebremariam (ETH)

Finishing 4th (2:04:53) and 3rd (2:04:38) respectively in the Men’s race, it’s interesting to note the differences between the two running styles.

Kara Goucher (USA)

Finishing 5th (2:24:52), while Goucher is by no means an example of particularly poor form (obviously a world-class athlete), it’s noticable that she is somewhat more sat-back in her running technique, in comparison to her East African counterparts.

About The Author

James has an academic background in Sport Rehabilitation and a special interest in Applied Biomechanics. He currently coaches a large number of Runners and Triathletes across all levels of ability and performance. He's grown a strong reputation for enabling athletes to improve their running performance and overcome running injuries through improving their Running Technique and developing Running Specific Strength.

 

2 Comments

  • Alex greyhound May 28, 2012 at 10:28 am

    Thanks for those new videos of marathoners. Great seeing the top runners techniques. Looking forward to the blog on marathoners compared to ironman running.

    Reply
  • Jon Messenger March 8, 2013 at 1:28 am

    Thanks for the videos.. Really enjoyed watching the elite runners gait mechanics.!!!

    Reply

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