It would be nice to see the average age of first 100-mile week for top 100 marathoners in Japan, Kenya, Ethiopia and the U.S..
It would be nice to see the average age of first 100-mile week for top 100 marathoners in Japan, Kenya, Ethiopia and the U.S..
They eat barely half as much on average as Americans do. That is the one and only reason. All others proceed from it. Sport is popular? Because they're small and skinny and thus good at it.
Name the big, fat world class marathoner. America's talent pool is probably less than a million people, Japan's is nearly their whole population.
This comes up in every thread questioning why Americans as a whole are lackluster in the marathon. Next question please
Bad Wigins wrote:
Name the big, fat world class marathoner. .
Bekele looked kinda tubby running 2:03
They work harder.
Chubby Checker wrote:
Bad Wigins wrote:
Name the big, fat world class marathoner. .
Bekele looked kinda tubby running 2:03
I have met Bekele and he is skinnier, and generally smaller-looking, than tv can convey. All elites are. They are like birds.
Years ago Boulder was overrun with Japanese training there. They did a lot of VERY slow running and even walking. 2 - 3 times per day. With this in mind, it is obvious that the primary focus was aerobic development.
From Hodgie-san's blog.
Note, day1: 65K ... that would be 40 miles. I counted at least 5 50K+ days, not including the 65K day.
>>>>Aerobic Development
Elephant in the room. Put a cool million on the American Record. I bet that would move the needle.
Winning wrote:
What are they doing differently in training compared to the U.S. distance runners?
Lots and lots of rice...and R.I.C.E.
finally doping like many others and hitting the speed peptide .
obviously have the quantity and quality to make jump if this dope does the rounds .
Winning wrote:
No go wrote:
Rupp=1.5 (.5 for olympic medal) Japan=0
Japan has more sub 2:09 marathoners today in just the Tokyo marathon, than America has ever in there history (so far).
The US has produced far more sub4 milers (and their metric equivalents) than Japan has.
Japan is strange because it has very good sprinters and very good distance runners bu nothing in the middle distance. They do not seem to be so efficient at speed. I think thats the thing thats limiting their ability to win major titles. Not just the men but the women. Take a look at the way the women run and it is appalling.
I agree with "Bad Wigins" that we have a small talent pool of fit young people to develop into runners. The weight of the average H.S. school X/C runner has really increased over the last 10 years. This does not bode well for developing into world class marathoners.
A popular sport attracts the best athletes in a country.
It's funny as Kenyans eat tons of ugali and Japanese pile on the rice and both are skinny as hell.
Yet in western countries more and more people think that carbs make you far and are unhealthy etc. So they eat bacon for breakfast and stuff like that and tell themselves it's healthy.
When Kenyan runners retire, they usually get fat. Tergat is very tubby now, and so are most others.
Look at middle aged Kenyan men -many have pot bellies.
Japanese stay thin for life -lowest obesity rate in world, at 3 percent. Genetics and diet.
Ghost in France
the Japs are the most flourished non-white race that exists...and they hold honor and respect in high regard.
Bedford/ wrote:
the Japs are the most flourished non-white race that exists...and they hold honor and respect in high regard.
Japs? Sounds like someone could learn a lot from the Japanese about respect.