I rewatched the mens 800m 2012 final this week and as always got goosebumps watching David Rudisha make it all seem so normal, easy, effortless – which it clearly isn’t. The whole race is here below: at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKEOjWEzVGs which I won’t / can’t embed due to the IOC not allowing me too.
I then recorded the video in slow motion to rewatch the runners actions and one thing really, really stood out for me. Rudisha’s arm action is so much better, throughout the race, then every other runner.
If you look at the side on shots from around 250m in, Rudisha is more able to get his elbows back, a smaller angle as he drives them back, lets them reactively move forwards, again keeping the angle pretty small to make a smaller lever and ensures that his fists come up to his face, with very little crossing of the midline. What is even more impressive is how he manages to maintain this action from the beginning to the end.
Looking at the next 3 athletes in the race, Kaki has a good arm action, not too dissimilar to Rudisha’s, Aman is dropping his hands as he’s bringing his arms back and Amos is just a little untidy (and this never gets better). However Kaki & Aman pay for trying to stick with Rudisha and drop back to finish 6th & 7th.
If you then move on to the section of the race from 300 – 400 (the side on shot which in the video is at 4:04) you get such a clear view of how much better, cleaner that Rudisha’s arm action is. Tight angle on the arms as he draws his elbows back, letting the arms come back through with his hands never dropping below the top of his pelvis, unlike the other 3 athletes in the shot. You can also see Rudisha has greater hip flexor action, resulting in better hip extension and a more reactive style of running. Amos and Aman have a limited range of motion by comparison and Kaki’s head begins to lean forwards, with his chin starting to come more to his chest, which is going to make his head heavier. This section of the race, reaching half way, is so informative at seeing where the runners are breaking down (or not in Rudisha’s case)
Amos finishes 2nd, whether he was doping at the time who knows – but his form in the last 200 shows an athlete that is past the point of control – lots of rolling of the shoulder, head leaning back, arms flailing forward, hands grabbing and reaching. Fighting to get to the line as best he could. This in stark contrast to Rudisha’s form in the last 100m. As he speeds up, he begins to drop his hands on the back swing (which those familiar with Tom Tellez’s coaching knows is key to generate more force) but then brings his hands up close to his torso, closing the angle and showing a man totally in control. This in total contrast to how he was running from 300-400m, which when you go and compare the 2 shows how good a runner he is.
One wonderful moment is at around 220m to go. The camera is on Rudisha’s face and you watch him steal a glance to his left, possibly looking for a clock / screen to see how he was getting on. This the action of a man in total control in contrast to the faces that we can see of the athletes behind.
Anyone wanting to understand decent running form needs look not much further than Rudisha. It’s harder to ascertain exactly where his foot is landing in relation to:
A. His centre of mass
B. His swing leg
But both look pretty good – fairly close and a small gap to the swing leg. His pelvic range of movement allows him the hip extension that he achieves, all supported by a solid upright posture and a head / shoulders that remains firmly above his hips. His breathing is calm, he is calm – always in control.
All in all a joy of a race to watch and one that you can learn so much from in terms of running form.
BreatheToMove 