Hey guys its JP and today, we are going to analyze the running form of the Eliud Kipchoge....
the FASTEST marathon runner in the world! I have already made a running analysis of
him during the breaking2 project, the 2018 Berlin marathon when he got the official world
record, and even the 2019 London Marathon; however, this time we will be doing it on
his most recent run...where he became the first person to ever break 2 hours when running
the marathon. In this video, I will breakdown different aspects of his running and uncover
a little bit of what makes him the greatest marathon runner in history! Hopefully, you
will also learn more about running mechanics, so you can improve the way you run as well.
Now, lets get into this analysis!
Here is a clip of him running halfway through the marathon during the INEOS 159 challenge.
This was considered an unofficial record due to multiple factors, such as 41 world class
pacemakers, being the sole competitor, and much more.. however, this was still an incredible
accomplishment. He even exceeded the expectations of the challenge and not only completed it
under 2 hours, but crushed it with a time of 1 59 40. This means that he ran just under
a 4 34 min per mile pace for a bit over 26 miles, which is absolutely insane. Now, that
we have a better understanding of the context of the race, lets first take a look at his
step rate. In this clip, he presents with a step rate
of 186 steps per minute. This is pretty similar to the step rate seen in the previous marathon
events he has participated in. Now, just because he runs at this step rate, doesnt mean this
is your optimal step rate as well. Preferred step rate depends on a multitude of different
factors as well. And even for world records, the average step rate varies between each
event. However, what I will mention is that research has shown that increasing step rate
by 5-10% from the preferred rate may reduce stress on the joints, especially at the knee,
without increasing energy expenditure. This basically means that you will be able to run
longer with less forces acting on the joints. The next thing we will at is the landing.
During this race, he lands mostly around the midfoot and occasionally through the rearfoot.
Compared to some previous races, like in the 2018 Berlin Marathon, he landed a little more
on the forefoot. The differences in the way he lands actually shifts the forces distributed
in the leg as it hits the ground. In the case of landing more toward the forefoot, this
puts less strain on the knees, but requires more work from the calf muscle. During this
event, he presents with more of a midfoot pattern, which balances out forces between
the knee and ankle a bit more evenly compared to a true forefoot and rearfoot landing. This
could also be affected by the shoes you wear, but Ill probably talk about the shoes in another
video. What I tend to be more curious about is WHERE
the foot lands in relation to the body. This is because while foot strike can distribute
forces differently on the leg, foot placement can affect the overall load placed on it.
In this case, Eliud Kipchoge presents with the foot landing close to the center of mass.
This is good as this allows for a smooth transition of forces as you begin to put weight on the
leg to pushing off the ground. Now, if you end up landing too far ahead of the body,
this puts more stress on the joints, especially at the knee. Also, you can see that he has
good foot placement based on the shin angle as it is pretty much perpendicular to the
ground. Whats also amazing about it is that he is so consistent with this as well. He
presents with excellent foot positioning from start to tend. Some of this can be attributed
to his incredible mental discipline and focus that he has.
The next thing we will look at is the amount of vertical bounce he has as he runs. Using
these markers, you can see that there is not much of it going on. There will also be some
of it present as you run due to the activation of the muscles during push off; however, you
dont want too much of it. By optimizing force pushing you forward, this will increase your
step length, and ultimately speed. How to usually minimize this vertical bounce is driving
from the hips as you push off and maintaining a decent step rate.
Now, lets move on to the upper body. Initally it looks like he is bending forward, but actually
his whole body is tilted forward. This may aid with momentum and improved hip positioning
for push off. Anyway, when you actually look at the trunk itself, is is actually upright
and in line with the body. This is good as keeping an upright trunk helps stabilize the
core and trunk muscles to optimize force output produced from the legs as well as put the
body in a good position for breathing. Next, we will look at the arm swing, specifically
shoulder movement. As you can see, he presents with an appropriate amount of shoulder movement
at this pace. I tend to look for good backward movement, and the arms just coming right around
that neutral position, which he has. Looking at this diagonal view, you can appreciate
how smoothly this occurs as well as how compact it is.
Finally, we will look at the head, which is pretty interesting to watch. While there is
going to be some side to side movement that occurs from weight shifting, when you look
at the side, you can see that he stabilizes it in a neutral position.
And thats it for the quick analysis on Eliud Kipchoge as he ran the fastest marathon in
the world. He not only has some incredible physical characteristics, but also amazing
mental discipline and focus that was able to take him to where he is now. He is such
an inspiration and I'm really excited to see what he will continue to do. I hope you guys
enjoyed the video and were able to learn some pieces of information to help improve the
way you run as well. Also, let me know what you guys think and what other kinds of videos
you would like to see. Anyway, as always, thank you for watching!