Recently, Mo Farah broke the 1 hour world record on September 4th, which is an incredible
accomplishment. So this time we are going to analyze his running here. This was actually
an amazing race to watch from both a physical and mental perspective. Some people tend to
see just the physical side, like the pace he ran at, which is already quite impressive,
but I was also particularly interested in the way he ran it. To keep this simple, the
first 5km went smoothly with pacing going according to plan. However, soon after the
5k split, the pacemakers started dropping off, which was much earlier than expected
as this was occuring at the 15 minute mark rather than around the 30 min mark. And things
were not looking good a little past the 30 min mark as the pace was slowing down and
was getting behind world record pace. I always appreciate these moments, because this really
puts the athlete to the test. Now, during the last 4th of the race, he started picking
up speed catching up to world record breaking pace again. Then, during the last minute,
he does what he is known for, and finishes the 1 hour with a strong finish, sealing the
deal. Now, that we have some context on this race, lets go over some of his running mechanics.
This specific clip takes place during the very last portion of the race as he does his
final kick. He is also coming off a corner or curve. It is important to keep these into
consideration as they can affect the way you run as running mechanics can change throughout
the race depending on the moment. This clip will be interesting to look at as we can see
how he moves when he is more fatigued. Now, at this moment, he is running at a step rate
or cadence of around 180 steps per minute. This is a step rate more commonly seen with
elite athletes running long distance races, which is the case here. Now, typically as
you get fatigued you end up running at an even low step rate, but thats not the case
here and he seems to be finishing the race strong. Now, the next thing we will look at
is the way his foot lands. Here, he seems to presents with more a midfoot-rearfoot.
This kind of landing is also more typically seen in elite long distance runners. This
is interesting to see as this is a bit different to what is seen when he runs the 5k on the
track with more of a midfoot pattern. Anyway, this kind of landing distributes forces more
around the knee and less on the calf region. Now, lets move on to the foot position relative
to the body. Now its hard to get the exact measurements as this camera angle is slightly
to the side, but here he seems to present with a shank angle of around 4 degrees. This
is something I take a look at not only indicate whether or not someone is overstriding, but
also because most elite athletes seem to present with more of a shank angle that is perpendicular
to the ground. For Mo Farah, he looks good here and further indicates he is not overstriding,
which can cause decreased efficiency when running. Next, we will look at the vertical
bounce. And here is what makes Mo Farah a bit unique. He presents with more of a spring
like pattern, with more of a vertical bounce. Now, theoretically, people want to minimize
the bounce seen as you want more force directed forward rather than upward. However, in this
case, this style works for him and not something I'd priotize to change. The way he runs may
be the way his body most optimally produces force to produce the results he has. Now,
lets move on to the arm swing. Here he presents with an appropriate arm swing for this relative
intensity pace. He also presents with high arm carriage. While this may be a bit more
unique, there is a lot of variation of arm swing throughout runners. In distance running,
I dont really mind too much how it looks as long as it helps efficiently counteract rotational
forces coming from the legs. Finally, lets look at the head, and here he presents with
a relatively neutral head position, which is fine! Overall, Mo Farah is an incredible
athlete who possesses great physical and mental qualities, which is something world class.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the video! I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment
section below. And as always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!