Weight Classes for runners Aim to Balance Races

[Liberal_in_LA]

October 4, 2010, 6:16 pm
Weight Classes Aim to Balance Races
By TARA PARKER-POPE

Stuart Bradford

At 245 pounds and 6 feet 3 inches, Jeffrey West knows he looks more like a football player than a runner. But that hasn’t stopped him from competing in nine marathons in the past three years.

“When I go by, people say, ‘Go, big fella, you can do it!’ ” Mr. West, 45, of Carol Stream, Ill., said with a laugh. He plans to be one of 45,000 runners in this weekend’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon. “But I know at the end of the race most people don’t want to get beat by the big guy who doesn’t look like he can run very fast.”

To runners, Mr. West is a Clydesdale, a name (referring to the large, powerful draft horses) that is typically used to describe race participants who weigh 200 pounds or more.

While most running events allow runners to compete in age divisions, a number of road races and triathlons also offer participants the chance to compete in weight divisions, which allows athletes to compare their performances against athletes with a similar build. Clydesdale runners argue that a number of sports, like boxing and wrestling, focus on weight-based competition, and it also makes sense in the sport of running, where slighter-framed runners have a clear advantage over those carrying an extra 50 pounds or more.

“As a Clydesdale, you know you’re never going to win a race,” says Mr. West, who has run nine marathons and whose best time is 4 hours 51 minutes. “But can I compare myself to another 45-year-old runner who weighs 145 pounds? Not really.”


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/weight-classes-aim-to-balance-races/

[LaurenG]

1. What an interesting article

I'd never heard the term Clydesdale used to describe a body type. :)