For podcast please Visit: http://nsfgov.http.internapcdn.net/nsfgov_vitalstream_com/podcast/sprint_condition.mp3Audio Transcript:
Winning By A Toe.
I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.
Getting a leg up in the sprinting world may have a lot to do with a certain kind of physiology of the foot. Specifically, a runner having longer toes and a unique ankle structure may have an edge.
New research out of Penn State compared the feet of sprinters with non-sprinters, and found some significant structural differences. They measured the distance between the heel and the end of the toes, and used ultrasound images to reveal the leverage of the Achilles tendon1 within the foot. The long and the short of it is that the runners had longer toes, and a shorter 'lever arm' or distance between the tendon and the center rotation of the ankle.
Those long toes let sprinters maintain contact with the ground just a little bit longer than other runners, giving them an extra boost of acceleration.
To take the research into the next heat2, the team used the stats they collected to design a computer model of the foot in various configurations. The greatest acceleration was achieved with the longest toes, and the shortest lever arm.
Built for speed? The jury is still out as to whether a runner can develop a more favorable foot structure through training or whether it's purely genetics.
On your mark -- get set -- toe!3 Sorry, it's a running gag.
I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.
Getting a leg up in the sprinting world may have a lot to do with a certain kind of physiology of the foot. Specifically, a runner having longer toes and a unique ankle structure may have an edge.
New research out of Penn State compared the feet of sprinters with non-sprinters, and found some significant structural differences. They measured the distance between the heel and the end of the toes, and used ultrasound images to reveal the leverage of the Achilles tendon1 within the foot. The long and the short of it is that the runners had longer toes, and a shorter 'lever arm' or distance between the tendon and the center rotation of the ankle.
Those long toes let sprinters maintain contact with the ground just a little bit longer than other runners, giving them an extra boost of acceleration.
To take the research into the next heat2, the team used the stats they collected to design a computer model of the foot in various configurations. The greatest acceleration was achieved with the longest toes, and the shortest lever arm.
Built for speed? The jury is still out as to whether a runner can develop a more favorable foot structure through training or whether it's purely genetics.
On your mark -- get set -- toe!3 Sorry, it's a running gag.
Play audio
For the original, please visit:
The Discovery Files
----------------
Note:
1. Achilles tendon
Please refer to the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_tendon
2. heat
►a single effort, round, bout, or trial; esp., any of the preliminary rounds of a race, etc., the winners of which compete in the final round
--The winner of each show will move into the next heat.
--I'll just take the confidence into the next heat now.
3. on your mark, get set, go!
►a three-command start when racing
For more information, visit the following link:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/on_your_mark,_get_set,_go!
Size matters! I mean TOES...
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