Thank you for your video. Just majestic see him run. What a gift for the sport's. Rest in peace Kelvim!

Several interesting points in your analysis. Great work!

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

Ah! Very, very interesting thoughts/analysis! For some reason I'm reminded of Zatopek as I watched Kiptum running up that false flat.

Great stuff. This is the Spinal Engine theory in proof. A la David Weck - Weck Method understanding of running! Head over foot - balanced locomotion

非常感谢您的分享❤

What an insightful analysis. Thank you, @balancedrunner. I was wondering, in your professional judgement, is there a typical Kenyan running style, compared to a typical Ethiopian style?

I think he didn't float very high. He looked like he was rushing forward. Uses reflex power sent from the body, very balanced, and the legs can move quickly.

As we have already learned from you, lateral bending of the spine is extremely important when running. What is your opinion on the "Weck method" and how it is related to this type of running?

I think retrospectively analyzing a WR marathoner and linking that to winning style is not always useful. Before his WR, no one was analyzing him. If you look at his previous marathon races, he's using pretty much the same style. Kenyan runners have a lot of quirks. As do track runners. This guy has a substantial running economy and his stamina is off the charts. The fact that his weekly mileage itself is something in range of 280-300km before major events tells me the muscular resilience at his age is very high. It remains to be seen how long he can remain at this level...

@stayontrack

7 ай бұрын

If kenenisa bekele could could come close to that mileage injury free, we would have a sub 2 hour race imo. But he can't

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Actually I started looking at his form a year ago. Just didn't get a full blog post/video together for publication. Take a look at my other replies to comments on this video for my thoughts on the rest. But I would agree, it remains to be seen how his performance--including his form--will develop from here.

He doesn't look as effortless and 'pretty' as Eliud Kipchoge who just looks like he flows over the ground.

@IT_Farhan

7 ай бұрын

Agree, I think one of the keys to Kiptum’s success is what I have read online (grain of salt) - 250 to 300 km per week, 155-186 miles

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Kipchoge's form has actually changed meaningfully since 2014 or so... whenever it was he ran Berlin for the first time. His gait has narrowed and he moves less. I'm not sure it's better, I think the shoes might just be better than earlier versions. I actually think the similarities between the two are pretty strong and am looking forward to doing a comparison video at some point. But they are different runners, and you may be right--Kiptum may be the Gene Kelly to Kipchoge's Fred Astaire.

@richardhudson4649

7 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner From an uneducated eye, Kiptum doesn't look as effortless as Kipchoge, but clearly whatever he does is working!!

@ACHill-vc2jh

7 ай бұрын

Unpopular opinion - but Kipchoge's form was better before super shoes. 2016 and before looked more symmetrical and balanced IMO.

@bui340

7 ай бұрын

I can't see the pelvic tilt. I think it's an illusion coming from the lift of the shirt by the lifted leg. Interesting analytics never the less.

On the straight on footage that you show where he is going uphill, it is also the last 400m of the race --- does his core/shoulders do the same thing when he is less fatigued (and possibly not kicking for the finish line?)

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

He has been running like that in every race I've seen footage of, and he was running like that early in this race too. His arms are a bit different on the flat than going uphill, but that's a discussion for another day. I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to talk about his form in the future.

@themarsean

7 ай бұрын

You can see it more in this clip (kzread.info/dash/bejne/oXdnwZSLhN3IYLQ.html) (after a little bit of hissan running) but it looks to me like he severely favors his right hip (as a lot of us do) and the twist/lean is biased that way (making him almost gallop)@@balancedrunner

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

As you say a lot of us do. Interestingly he hasn't reported any pain, and his overall form is so interesting I decided not to focus on the asymmetry.

How about the tangent...how much time could he saved?? Saludos

The tip of thr shoulder to create recoil in the obliques is the trick then isnt it! Pretty cool! Kipchoge's secret seems to be that he keeps his knee a little more bent on the take-off foot. I wonder if he gains on that by incorporating a little more soleus action to the work required on the gastrocnemius? What do you think?

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

The real trick is his significant pelvis movement, including tipping it. Up till Kiptum, whenever I've seen runners tipping their shoulders like this, they've been doing it instead of moving their pelvis. Kiptum does both and that's why it works. But there is something off about his armswing on the flat... there's definitely more to say and more to think about here, and I'm glad it seems I'll get to watch him in many more races in the years ahead. In any case, when you go to apply this yourself, focus on your pelvis, and let your upper body rotate. Most runners keep their shoulders level and turn more instead, including Kipchoge and Bekele, so you can't say it doesn't work as well. :-)

@luimulder3768

7 ай бұрын

Yeah I think I'll stick to dipping the pelvis and rotating the upper body without shoulder dipping for now. It looks hard to make that action a productive one.

I notice you didnt mention the effects (if any) you felt the alphafly 3 prototypes he was wearing may have had on his form. I thought that you were going to go there when you talked about how he twists to create recoil in a way that (to my layperson eyes) seems to be done to maximize the spring of the shoes. Since he is newer at marathons I also note you have no "before" footage to guage any difference.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

That's the thing, @shaec.3581--there's no "before," and this situation isn't like Assefa in Berlin where she bettered her time so significantly in the same race a year before in new shoes that there needed to be some assessment. Although I didn't look so closely at Kiptum in London, as far as I can tell he ran exactly the same today as he did then. That little arch at the end of toe-off could well be the shoes, though not necessarily the shoulder lift.

@cannibalmanimal2336

7 ай бұрын

He’s not moving any differently than when he was in Vapor 2s.

Since this is the new guy in town, can you do a direct form comparison with Kipchoge?

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

I do plan to do that. I'd actually made some notes about it last fall, but ran out of time to write about it. Ideally there will be a race where they compete against each other--that would be the perfect time for a comparison.

@Zak-pn7ir

7 ай бұрын

One big difference is in height.I guess that helps with longer strides...@@balancedrunner

wow you got to see him!

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Yes!! Though the downside of videoing it is that I was pretty distracted by dealing with two cameras. I need to have someone else video races so I can just watch. :-)

@FYI9102

7 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner get leroy on it

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

@@FYI9102 LOL!

RIP kelvin

Rest in Peace Kiptum

@balancedrunner

3 ай бұрын

Yes. What a huge loss.

Interesting how both Kiptum and Kipchoge kind of supinate there feets when hitting the ground. Kind of roll it in to a neutral placement. I think that Kipchoge's running form is better though. Not that that means much when both of them are such incredible runners.

impressive in slow motion he looks like doing a continuos jumping forward

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

That's what running is--a series of jumps. :-)

The secret is he trained HARD, the ENVIRONMENT that he is at and lets say genetic too. Even if someone copies his form do they really think they can even come close to that, all these people analyzing this is just doing too much.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

It's really funny that in running, which is a form of movement, so many people insist that how you move doesn't matter. Nobody is going to go from a 5 hour marathon to breaking the world record by copying Kiptum's form, but if they learn a few things about how running works by seeing how he moves, they will improve their own performance and enjoy their running more.

@matthewnewnham-runner-writer

7 ай бұрын

Hear, hear@@balancedrunner. As someone who has been running for 50 years and clocked up 50,000 miles of running, competing on the track, roads and cross country (as a good but not elite runner), I second your insight. Training hard isn't enough. I know; I've trained my guts out over several decades, running hard and fast (by most peoples' standards). I did well, but not great. And nor is talent enough, though talent and training can take one far. Here's an analogy... I also used to be a fighter pilot. Those of us with that expertise know that a 'clean' jet, with minimal drag, flown by an equally skilled pilot using equally good tactics, will outperform a jet that isn't as aerodynamically 'cleaned up'. Meaning... Great running form is more energy efficient, so of course it confers a significant advantage, especially in an environment where even small percentage gains make the difference between winning and 'also ran'.

What is his stride length compared to others. HUGE!! Fewer strides mean less effort. How many strides did he take vs others????

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

It would be nice to know that number. But it still leaves the question of how he's managing to take long strides.

Is mile 25 a good clip to analyze? He would be tired at this point I am assuming though he did run negative splits

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

It's great, actually. There's a mistaken notion that form falls apart when runners are fatigued. Instead, it usually gets better, up to a point, and then when it does start to get dysfunctional, exactly how it breaks down is very informative about what the runner was really doing all along, but compensating for. In any case, Kiptum has run this way every time I've seen him, and he was running this way in the first miles of the race as well.

@IT_Farhan

7 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner interesting, thanks!

Wow! Some super, super great video footage. You focused in on his upper body but I watched feet/foot in the video. I always thought/knew fast runners were like "cats" running off their springy toes. He ran slightly off toes, maybe more mid foot and occasionally "slogger" heel planting. He was not consistent. At times he landed on the outer side of the foot and rolled inward. He always launched/sprung forward after each foot plant ...like a jumper. His foot plants were concealed somewhat by shoe design. Big huge heels lessoned impact even for a cat like toe planter/springer. It appeared shoe design was super helpful for maintain spring and lessening, energy consuming impact. Focus in on his feet that's what propels him!! It's SHOES, SHOES, SHOES!! That now sets records!!!

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Basically I agree, but what he does with his torso is extraordinary and fast. The action of the legs and feet are emanations of the spine, so the spine is primary when analyzing form... and it's affected by the shoes as well. I saw that "slogger" form periodically as well. He probably doesn't do that in non-supershoes, but hard to know. The variety in his footstrike and form, especially in a younger runner, is a sign of health.

@ronmodafferi8202

7 ай бұрын

High foot kick near butt equals strong kick and lots of air time and a super long stride length!! What is his stride length vs. other runners? He launches up and forward with each step. Equals lower cadence? Fewer steps per mile less impact and stress on legs/feet and covers more ground. Equals a fast time with less stress.@@balancedrunner

Have you ever seen anyone use their shoulders the way Kiptum does? And if so, were they a distance runner?

@paulbbareil6080

7 ай бұрын

Yes, I tend to do that, but I am much slower than him! haha!! I think it may also decrease absorption of the body and so increase the risk of injury.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

@@paulbbareil6080 I thought about you in writing this analysis. But the key thing he does differently from you is that he moves his weight away from the foot he's leaving towards the swing leg as he goes into flight. You, like others who do the shoulder-tip (and also runners who don't!) were moving your weight back towards the side you were trying to take off from. That's very hard on the legs, because you're fighting your toe-off. Kiptum's form may be hard on the outsides of his legs, because he is pushing outwards on each foot and not just forwards, and I wish I'd included that in this video, but there will be opportunities in the future to dig into that.

@ramadanmohammed5586

6 ай бұрын

Say somethings about sifan hassan as well

Not the most beautiful running form but by far the FASTEST running form start to finish line.

I also like to hear how much inch or metre every step is. That is , I think, also important. Never hear anyone talk about this.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

So would I! But we can't get that information from this video footage.

@kylestephens9593

6 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner roughly I estimated Kiptum's stride length to be 1.75m-1.80m from your footage, Jae

It sure looks like Kiptum gets away with some Trendelenburg Gait (hip drop) so far in his running career. All the upper body motion seems to cancel out the effects on his legs, which have a very ideal motion. Pretty much everyone else who has a hip drop also have misalignment somewhere in their legs, leading to lots of injuries. It does take core energy for most runners to keep their hip from dropping, and Kiptum seems to perform a very visible bending of the spine. It will be interesting to see if Kiptum remains healthy in the years to come.

@james_addison

5 ай бұрын

he's just a healthy athlete. Hip drop is only a problem for undeveloped runners and overweight hobby joggers.

When i see Bekele running form different from Kipchoge which is different from Kiptum and all three have ran fast... It makes me conclude no perfect form of running, form is natural can't be learned.

@josedelnegro46

7 ай бұрын

That is a conclusión which cannot be monatized. Do you want to start over?

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

None of these men was born knowing how to run. They, like the rest of us, learned to run in childhood. For humans, running is something we learn, and we can also learn to change it if we know how to go about that. Form is just one of the aspects of performance in running. It's nearly 100% of performance in, say, gymnastics, but in running you can be fast because of training, strength, nutrition, strategy, mindset... even if your form isn't very good. So great performance is not the best way to measure form. You can learn much more by comparing runners to themselves before/after making changes, and I've spent 20+ years doing that. In addition, at the top end of performance, great form involves versatility--the ability to respond to conditions and even make them into advantages. And finally, although there are principles of good form because most of us have 2 legs, 2 arms, and relatively consistent anatomy, and that means that running works basically the same for all of us, there are also a range of movement strategies within those principles. Kipchoge and Bekele actually run very differently from each other, for instance, and I haven't found any reason to consider one superior to the other. They both work. I think there are some vulnerabilities in Kiptum's form, and I also think the shoes are shaping the movement we see, but we can still interpret what we do see and have a better understanding of how it contributes to his performance.

@josedelnegro46

7 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner I go to the store. When I get there I tell the guy selling the soap to sell to me the sopa. Everone who is with me gets mad. They say you should know what you want before you get in hère. When we get home and 99 out of 100 times I got exactly what U needed they are amazed. I hell them a fool walks past a fresh faced 16 year old that has been standing in a store selling anything for a year 15 hours a week to buy his dad's used car and take his girl to Home Comming. Maddam you have sold running to me well. Might I subcribe ?

@mahlibras

5 ай бұрын

​@@nichokituku4799Kitata's heel striking limits his cadence to low 170s as the ground contact time is increased for the foot to roll from heel to toe push off. If he adopted a mid foot landing, potentially he could increase cadence to 180+which would likely improve his average speed

@nichokituku4799

5 ай бұрын

@@mahlibras good analysis. I would like to know sissey lemma too. He heel strikes and just ran 2:01:48 in Valencia making him second fastest man in marathon this year.

This is the normal way of running (and walling, btw), it's just that he does it in a more exagerated way.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Almost, but not quite. The tipping of the shoulders isn't normal in either walking or running, except possibly sprinting and other speed/power contexts. But the general movement of his core is absolutely normal, and most people should allow it to happen more than they do.

@matriaxpunk

7 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner the tipping of the shoulder is normal, it's just very subtle.

A little like Usain bolt

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Yes. Some runners use more rotation and others use more sidebending. Both Bolt and Kiptum use more sidebending. So does Kipchoge, by the way, but we see it less and less as the years pass.

@alanporter1130

7 ай бұрын

Bolt's sidebend was caused by scoliosis. The had longer ground contact time on one side, but compensated by generating greater force on that side @@balancedrunner

Interestingly Kelvin's ankle and feet land strays from the African norm we see. He keep them almost completely straight and no flexion towards the middle with the heel is seen . There isn't much of a diagonal roll off like with Eliud and other top African runners. This is more of a European style of foot land and I wonder if it due to a higher arch. He runs less smoothly and effortlessly then Eliud too. Eliud always looks to be softly floating himself upright with his posture, rocking, knee drive, and midstance. Eliud's style is more of a staying relaxed upright, his notable arm-swing is very gentle, precise, and balancing. For this reason I think Eliud wastes too much energy on lateral motion, especially with his ankle and feet. It certainly is the most beautiful form effortless form I have ever seen. Kelvin on the other hand has a violent, asymmetrical, arm swing towards the middle due to his longer arms and balancing his lack of much lateral movement on the rocker down below. To me it seems Kelvin has stuck with his natural form, and doesn't try to make things symmetrical like Eliud. Kelvin tries to more so fall forward, his foot barely has enough time to make it under his knee, which doesn't drive that much, even when he kicks. The kick back is more pronounced too. It is more of a pushback, compared to a force-down to keep floating upright. You can see the difference between Eliud and Kelvin's land, foot flexion, midstance, and pushback. The pushback looks to kick farther behind for Kelvin too. The pushback air-time to recovery up front for Kelvin's feet is also very quick and low compared to Eliud. In a simple way, Kelvin's center of gravity is farther in front, which is why he looks to land, rock, and push the ground quickly behind him. Because of Kelvin's more European style landing, the force from the ground does get spread over his ankle laterally, which is why it goes straight up, into his hips, causing them to move up and down more. Perhaps instead of wasting the landing energy laterally to the sides as a cushion, Kelvin's hips allow it to go up, keeping him upright and pushing his torso up ad forward... Yeah I'm a geek when it comes to forms of different body types, lengths, proportions, and ethnicities haha

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Interesting analysis. There's a lot more to say about Kiptum's legs, and I'm going to write a followup blog post to this video in the next couple of days (and I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to analyze his form again in future races as well). The biggest thing I didn't point out in this video is the effect of his lateral action on his legs. It throws his feet out to the sides a little bit, and means he pushes outwards and not just forwards with them. Sprinters do this coming out of the blocks, and of course this is the way skates work (both ice and inline). It means he can't land on the outsides of his feet very easily, though he actually does do it sometimes. There's also something funny going on with the shoes, because for the last year I've seen the usual amount of asymmetry in the bodies of elite runners, but their feet and legs are almost completely symmetrical. It didn't used to be like that--asymmetry carried all the way through the body, from head to feet. There are still exceptions--see my video on Sharon Lokedi from last year--but I've been really surprised at the symmetry I'm seeing. So I think there's something in the shoes that produces this now. So who knows how his feet "really" land.

6:20 I think you are missing the point here. Your analysis is too focused on one plane, an error most people make. If you look back at the spinal engine theory (Serge Gracovetsky), the use of the lats are required for the functional lines (Anatomy Trains) to generate power and maximise economy as rotations are more efficient than swings (change of direction). Which means, shoulders must rotate backwards while we run, like a backstroke swimmer. Yes, even though we are running forward. The overwhelming majority of people get this wrong and erroneous running form tips about arm swing are being perpetuated. Kimptum is the only one I’ve seen who has been implementing this right at a professional level. Background: I’m an engineer who runs and spent a couple of years studying running gait.

Not sure Mike 25 of a WR marathon is the right time for form analysis… bro was maybe a LITTLE tired and maybe not in perfect form by then 😜

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

See my replies to other commenters about this. But basically, it's the best time to analyze his form, because we're not interested in anything he might be *trying* to do (though I doubt he's doing anything intentionally with his form)--we're interested in what he's actually doing, which is revealed when he no longer has the extra energy to correct or compensate for it.

Form wise I'd say he's not on the level of Kenenisa or Eliud

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

That was my thought too, but I'm reserving judgement. I think his way of running is demanding on the outer legs and hips, so we'll see what happens with that. And the shoe tech muddles everything, including what's the most functional form. In any case, though the shoulder tip is questionable, his armswing on the flat is a bit problematic, and he doesn't have the natural forefoot landing of Kipchoge, the action of his core is awesome. We'll see how his form evolves.

As a Kenyan, this is excessive analysis for nothing. The man just drinks mursik and runs

@TheKinneiddh

7 ай бұрын

Tell them😌sijui watu ooh hafai kuinua shoulder juu, oh sijui left and right foot... This is wrong this is right like have they ever ran in this marathon and broken any record😂😂

@itry2brational

7 ай бұрын

Have you? Excessive counter analysis to benefit only your ego.

@TheKinneiddh

7 ай бұрын

@@itry2brational just let the guy be if you see there's problem in his form of running go run for your country too...

@KashKoala

7 ай бұрын

@@TheKinneiddh Wanafikiria kuna secret formula that they can use to get to our level. Hakuna. Only option is to send us their women tuwapee good genes quick fast

@itry2brational

7 ай бұрын

@@TheKinneiddh There is no problem in analyzing form. You're making a mountain out of a mole hill. Get over yourself.

I don't see the uselessness of this to any other competitor since one's natural running action requires no thought. Any competitor trying to emulate another's natural running action that's foreign to their own will always be second best to the one who runs naturally without thought.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

The thing is, many many elite athletes work on their form, but they work on the wrong things and either get no benefit or actually harm their performance. Understanding how running works helps people at least stop working on the wrong things. And then understanding how motor learning works helps an athlete improve their form so that they run better in a way that is, as you say, natural and without thought. Natural and learned are not opposites. We all learned how to run, and we have the capability to keep learning.

He is expending lot of energy by that weird running style! If he can improve his running form he can run marathon under 1:59:00!

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

I strongly disagree, @stanzinwangchuk6190. The shoulder tipping is unusual for distance runners, and I'm not sure it's optimal, but I see how it works for him. The movement of his core definitely makes running much more efficient than trying to keep your core still and run with just your legs. If he didn't move his core so much, he would not be so fast.

@Ladakhirunner

7 ай бұрын

@@balancedrunner I highly disagree! He for sure is wasting energy by moving his body sideways a lot!

@TheKinneiddh

7 ай бұрын

😂😂to start with how many times have you broken world record in marathon you can't coach this man of ours if at all you've never been seen on marathon races... What do you know about running

@Ladakhirunner

7 ай бұрын

@@TheKinneiddh yes correct unfortunately I know nothing about running because I have never ran till now 🥲

@bui340

7 ай бұрын

​@@balancedrunnerhe runs a bit like Abby Steiner.

Prob got more to do with springy shoes and a load of EPO...

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

springy shoes yes, but I don't have any basis for comparison because I've never seen him run in anything else. His form has been consistent as far as I can recall. Doping is out of my domain--it doesn't change a person's form the way shoes do. So I can't speak to that.

@luizcarlos5666

7 ай бұрын

I don't know anything about biomechanics, but it seems to me that he doesn't have a very economical running style, so I think he's obviously a strong runner AF, to say the least.

@balancedrunner

7 ай бұрын

Well yes, @luizcarlos5666, if a runner is running inexplicably fast with very dysfunctional form, then I start to wonder it there's some other explanation for how they have enough fitness to do that. But it isn't the case here. Kiptum's form is very functional.