To say Eliud Kipchoge’s Boston Marathon didn’t go the way most people anticipated is putting it mildly. And yet this performance was actually more revealing about what makes him one of the greatest marathoners of all time than his many successes have been. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in feeling a baffled sense of unreality … Read more
What a joy to watch a marathon again. Let’s just dive right in and look at the different movement strategies the runners used and how this related to their performances. As interesting as it is to watch any individual athlete, it’s in comparing athletes that you really see how they’re running. Brigid Kosgei and Ruth … Read more
Abs were the focus of my analysis of the finish of the men’s race in Boston, and it turns out they’re also a key point of interest in the women’s race in the 2019 London marathon. I’ve written about Brigid Kosgei, the women’s winner, a couple of times before. In Chicago 2018 I said she … Read more
It seems I moved from Germany to California two months too soon. Had I still been there on September 16, 2018, I would have been out on the streets cheering Eliud Kipchoge on and capturing some high-speed video as he set a new world record of 2:01:39. Since I was in California instead and, I … Read more
The winner of the 2018 London Marathon—both women’s and men’s races—was the forward lean. Both Eliud Kipchoge and Vivian Cheruiyot have flawless forward leans when they run, and since I had the good fortune to be on the racecourse with my camera, I’ve got high-speed slow motion video to show you how that works and … Read more
Another year, another chance to dash around Berlin on marathon day with my camera and my hopes of catching as much as possible of a thrilling race. Here are some of the high-speed, slow-motion videos I took, with my commentary. Eliud Kipchoge vs. Guye Adola Guye Adola, who at times seemed like he might glide … Read more
Nike’s carefully engineered attempt to shepherd three runners towards breaking 2:00 for the marathon this morning was amazing to watch. If you missed it here’s the replay: For me, watching these runners tackle this huge goal and understanding the work of the team behind them was a powerful reminder of how inspiring sport can be. Three Very … Read more
The biggest story from this morning’s 2015 Berlin Marathon was that Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge won it with the insoles of his trainers hanging halfway out. Here’s a picture. Talk about an impressive victory. There are obviously many remarkable things about this feat. Since others have already written about how uncomfortable it was for him, and how … Read more
On September 24, 2023, Tigst Assefa flew through the Brandenburg Gate towards the finish line of the Berlin marathon, startlingly fast even at a glance; stunningly fast according to the clock. How? I can’t speak to all the factors involved in her performance. However I can speak to her running form and what it suggests. … Read more
Sunday, April 23, 2023, was a historic day in the annals of mid-run stretching. On that day Sifan Hassan stopped twice–once for a brief quad stretch and once to stretch her glutes–and went on to win the London marathon. Let’s look at Sifan Hassan’s running form along with her explanation to understand what happened. After … Read more
People have been asking me to do a gait analysis of Franka Potente’s character Lola in the film Run Lola Run for years. I love this movie and only hesitated to write about it because I was afraid only people my age or older would know it. (I was 28 when it came out in … Read more
Alex Hutchinson recently wrote about a study showing significant benefits from drafting behind other runners to reduce drag, or air resistance in a marathon. In a real-world situation it would amount to a savings of somewhere between 3-4 minutes due to less energy spent pushing yourself forwards–whether you’re Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei, or simply a … Read more
“…She runs like a dragonfly hovering above lily pads on a lake,” was how someone described Letesenbet Gidey’s running form to me on Twitter. He wanted to know the specifics that create that impression: was there something about Gidey’s beautiful form that was an asset to her successful attempt to set a new 5K world … Read more
I had the great good fortune to be in Chicago to see Brigid Kosgei set a new women’s marathon world record–in fact, to smash Paula Radcliffe’s record 17 years to the day after she set it. Not only that, I had my camera with me, so I have slow motion video and my analysis to … Read more
