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First published online July 6, 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 2625-2631 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01609

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Running performance has a structural basis

Peter G. Weyand^1,2,* and J. Adam Davis¹

¹ Locomotion Laboratory, Kinesiology Department, MS–545, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA
² Center for Human Performance, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA

View larger version (12K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Mass-specific stance-averaged support forces vs running speed. (A) stance-averaged force vs running speed in a representative subject; (B) mean stance-averaged support forces for athletic male (M; N=9) and female (F; N=9) subjects (M: y=1.27 + 0.105x; F: y=1.24 + 0.106x). Vertical hashes across the horizontal lines appearing in the upper portion represent the average race velocities of elite male and female specialists at each event distance. y-intercept values of Fg typically do not equal 1.0 because they are extrapolations beyond the range of speeds at which running is possible.

View larger version (13K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Body sizes of elite specialists vs event distance (means ± S.E.M.). (A) Body mass; (B) height.

View larger version (10K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Body mass index (BMI) and ground support forces vs event distance. (A) Body mass index; (B) ground support forces determined from the average racing speeds of event specialists; (C) the ratio of BMI to mass-specific ground support force of specialists vs event distance (mean BMI Fg–1=9.92 kg m–2; broken horizontal line).

View larger version (11K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. The product of ground support force and height-squared in relation to body mass (mass=–0.006+0.101x, R2=0.97).