• Question: why are some people better at running than others?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 23 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Sakshi Sharda

      Sakshi Sharda answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Hi meghanamberjones12

      Some people are faster than others because they practice. Running needs some amount of stamina and this comes through practice. Of course there is some amount of physiology also involved, for example some people have greater muscle mass that makes them stronger or are more nimble naturally that makes them sprint faster than others.

    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      Part of it is down to genetics. We have two different muscle fibres – slow twitch and fast twitch fibres. If you have more slow fibres you’re better at running long distances because they use oxygen to contract which takes longer to get started but lasts longer. People with more fast twitch fibres – such as athletes like Usain Bolt – use energy from glucose so muscles contract very quickly but don’t last as long. This is why they’re good at running very fast at short distances.

      It also takes a lot of training to be faster, so it’s not all down to genetics – having those muscle types just helps a little!

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