Most people would answer training and practice are the keys to being a fast runner. However, research published by Stephen Piazza and Sabrina Lee of Penn State University has shown the musculoskeletal anatomy plays a role in allowing sprinters to rapidly accelerate. Their study showed longer toes and shorter heels in sprinters compared to those of non-sprinters.
Why are these traits beneficial to sprinters? Longer toes have more time in contact with the ground and allow for an increase in acceleration. The increased ground contact allows better push off at the start of a race. After measuring the ankle joints and Achilles tendons, sprinters were also found to have heels 25% shorter than non-sprinters. This allows the sprinter to produce a greater force with a shorter lever arm.
The characteristics of a sprinter defined in this study can provide better grip and power at the start of a race and could mean the difference between winning and losing. A question that remains unanswered is whether sprinters are born with these traits or do they develop from years of training?
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