# tall runners

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [February 22, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603 "2012-02-22T05:07:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/1 "2012-02-22T05:07:37Z")

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Are speed runners usually six and a half feet? If not, why?

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/2 "2012-02-22T05:42:33Z")

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What do you mean by a speed runner? And why do you thing 6 1/2 feet is an ideal height?

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**Author:** ![Randvek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@Randvek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randvek)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/3 "2012-02-22T06:23:17Z")

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> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> What do you mean by a speed runner? And why do you thing 6 1/2 feet is an ideal height?

Because can you imagine a 6’5" or a 6’7" speed runner? 😕 Jeeze TriPolar, think before you ask a dumb question. 😃

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**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/4 "2012-02-22T07:08:45Z")

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Up until a few years ago the recieved wisdom was that the ideal sprinter topped out at a little over six feet. Carl Lewis was 6’3" and Michael Johnson 6’1" for example. And a mid 2000s study of world champion sprinters found they ranged between 5’9" and 6’3". The theory was that taller sprinters couldn’t generate the explosive power to win the dashes.

Then along came Usain Bolt at 6’5".

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**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/5 "2012-02-22T12:31:22Z")

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I would think that the taller you are, the longer legs you have and the longer legs you have, the father you run on each step.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/6 "2012-02-22T14:32:04Z")

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Moved to the Game Room.

Colibri  
General Questions Moderator

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**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tall-runners/613603/7 "2012-02-22T16:18:49Z")

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> [@copperwindow](#):
>
> I would think that the taller you are, the longer legs you have and the longer legs you have, the father you run on each step.

Wilt Chamberlain was a very fast sprinter.