this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
422 points (98.8% liked)
Damn, that's interesting!
4677 readers
1 users here now
- No clickbait
- No Racism and Hate speech
- No Imgur Gallery Links
- No Infographics
- Moderator Discretion
- Repost Guidelines
- No videos over 15 minutes long
- No "Photoshopped" posts
- Image w/ text posts must be sourced in comments
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Sorry to be that guy, but this picture gives us no evidence that the advantage of these people is biological and not the result of other factors such as culture or environment.
This picture doesn't, but if you look into it then you'll see studies have shown the Kalenjin people have quite small ankles and calves which mean their legs weigh less and so make it easier for them to run long distances.
That isn't to say genetics are the sole reason they are good. But it's undeniable they have a genetic advantage.
Maybe a small advantage, but they also have a culture of training specifically for long distance running. That's almost all of it. The size of your ankles doesn't matter if you don't practice.
There are better ultra marathon runners in Mexico who look nothing like these Kenyans. They barely warm up with a marathon, so they don't place highly. They are good because their culture involves running ultra marathons. They will keep running for fun long after everyone else has died.
Training is what matters. If you went and joined a running club in Kenya, you would be able to beat any Kenyan who didn't practice. It's 99% practice.
Ultra marathons are an entirely different sport from the 10k, and even marathons. Obviously training matters, but we also don't have to pretend all humans are identical and only training and grit separate them.