Im i too short and weigh too much to have a career in distance running

I am barely 5'10 and weigh 145-150 pounds. I do pretty OK in D1. I'm not Nico Young level and I'm not gonna set a world record, but you don't need to be a twig to run well up to a college level.

Don't give yourself an eating disorder or worry about it, you are fine. Eat a little healthier than the average person, run 6 days a week and weight will mostly regulate itself to an optimal level as long as you don't starve yourself or eat 10 sticks of butter a day.

It's a benefit to be shorter for long distance. My 6'3" frame is less efficient than someone who is 5'6"

Probably a troll. Nonetheless...

How many people have a running career? Nothing is stopping you from having a great running hobby.

Define 'career'?

Maybe 10 people in the US can say they have a distance running 'career'

I was 5'6", 140lbs and got a D1 scholarship 28 years ago.

You are absurdly skinny. You will be fine.

Alan

I ran sub 14:00 at 5’11” 135 pounds. I’m not East African

Kipchoge is 5’6” 115

this is nonsense. for starters, you could be the distance running prototype and some vanishingly tiny percent of them ever go pro. second, that's a fairly normal, athletic height and weight. and trying to be skinny on purpose gets you hurt or sick. just be an athlete and find your place. third, the more athletic type works for 800 and sometimes mile. fourth, i didn't think my muscular legs were the ideal for XC but i was a serviceable 5th runner type in HS good enough my college XC friends tried to get me to do XC at D3 level, and had me along for some road races out to 5 mi. someone built like me isn't beating the kenyans at 5k, but i could probably beat them in a sprint. so there.

along those lines, either rededicate to it, knowing you can get college running out of it if you work hard -- which is few enough of us and special -- if not a "pro career" -- or, if you feel like a misfit, don't be a pouter about it, try some other events. go shorter, go steeple, go hurdles, go field, go multi. find your niche. look around a TF meet. it takes all types. big folks over here. tall folks over there. skinny over here. ripped over there. etc.

if you pay any attention, everyone's there. they just find their spot.

Develop your speed while you're young. If you end up 5'8" 150 lbs. with near 46-flat speed like T Makhloufi, great! [T Makhloufi is incorrectly listed as 5'9".]

the ideal height and weight is you feel fit, fast, and healthy.

one way to try out some other events is do either the junior club events postseason or the college all-comers meets next couple of months, and just try stuff. another way, is after doing fall XC, ask the coach next TF season to begin the season kind of rotating around. one of the best things my junior high team did was try us at a variety of events, and let us start the season doing different things, before settling where we ended up. i had never done hurdles and found a niche. i started out doing LJ but decided i didn't like getting dirty and a little tired before i even ran a race. people knock rec youth sports and participation trophies but if you're not sure what you're doing, strip away the winning and bs, and figure out what parts you enjoy. then pursue that.

last point, are you doing well or not? if you are, so what about how you are built. you aren't "fat." if you aren't quite competitive at distance, and you're not enjoying it, don't get into a body thing, go find the event you are good at. your body is your body. nothing good comes of trying to starve or steroid yourself into looking like someone else. be the best person in your particular shoes.

danny simmons is the same height and weight as you. dont worry about it

I’m a 16 year old at 5’8” and 135. You don’t way to much, just a lot of strength will help, and most distance runners are typically shorter. The world record mile holder is 5’9”. I run 4:30s for 1600 in my sophomore year, so you should be good.

Curious. Anybody know Geordie Beamish's specifications?