
On Thursday there was a great symposium on why East African distance runners dominate the endurance events in track and field. Various speakers examined the diet, training, genetics, environment, anthropometry, physiology and cultural factors with interesting conclusions. The general observations were as follows:
- East Africans have similar muscle fiber type distribution as many peoples from European and European descent who do not dominate the distance events.
- The diet ofEast Africans is deficient in many aspects (vitamins and minerals) and is more likely a detriment than an explanation for their success.
- The VO2 max of East Africans is the same and in some cases worse than athletes of other nationalities.
- East Africans train amazingly hard.
- Many East Africans live and train at altitude.
- The anthropometry of East Africans is dramatically different than that of their Asian and Caucasian counterparts.
- East Africans were lighter, had longer legs, shorter torsos, and much smaller lower leg mass.
- EastAfricans had significantly better running economy than their Asian andCaucasian counterparts. In other words, they were able to run at equalspeeds as their counterparts at a much lower metabolic cost.
