The Student Room Group

Why don't the different races do equally well at marathon running?

The pursuit of equality is the highest virtue, yet black people consistently dominate at the top of marathon running. All races are equal, so this is evidence of systematic racism, just like the racism which leads to whites dominating economically.

How can we stop the structural discrimination and social construct that leads to blacks dominating marathons? How can we have fairer representation across the races and reduce inequality?

Some countries have introduced quotas and affirmative action for boardrooms and politics to give women the help they need to reach the top. We tax the rich more to distribute wealth more evenly. The National Union of Students has recently introduced gender quotas to shoehorn more women into the NUS.

Could we introduce something similar to ensure fairer representation of whites and asians in marathons?

Perhaps we could require 40% of the top 10 finishers to be non-black? If blacks were going to come 7-10th they would need to stop and wait for some whites or asians to go past. Because, equality.

Or perhaps we could give non-blacks a head start, like they do for women in the LA Marathon?

What are your ideas for making marathon running more equal and fair? Or are you a racist that thinks different races have different ability levels? :angry:

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I see what you're doing here
Original post by FriendlyLiberal
The pursuit of equality is the highest virtue, yet black people consistently dominate at the top of marathon running. All races are equal, so this is evidence of systematic racism, just like the racism which leads to whites dominating economically.

How can we stop the structural discrimination and social construct that leads to blacks dominating marathons? How can we have fairer representation across the races and reduce inequality?

Some countries have introduced quotas and affirmative action for boardrooms and politics to give women the help they need to reach the top. We tax the rich more to distribute wealth more evenly. The National Union of Students has recently introduced gender quotas to shoehorn more women into the NUS.

Could we introduce something similar to ensure fairer representation of whites and asians in marathons?

Perhaps we could require 40% of the top 10 finishers to be non-black? If blacks were going to come 7-10th they would need to stop and wait for some whites or asians to go past. Because, equality.

Or perhaps we could give non-blacks a head start, like they do for women in the LA Marathon?

What are your ideas for making marathon running more equal and fair? Or are you a racist that thinks different races have different ability levels? :angry:


Well, there are no different 'races' but there is some geographic correlation between elite athlete success and their ethnic origins. But don't confuse this with the idea of being 'black' or 'non black'. There are very few people of west African heritage who do well in distance running, for example, and very few people of east African origin who do well in sprinting events.
I think if entrants have extenuating circumstances they should get a time bonus.
Reply 4
I think quotas are needed for a correct representation of each race in the top positions in any marathon.
All under represented constituencies should be able to attend diversity workshops. And get "funding" from the Lottery.
Reply 6
I don't think you should be allowed to become an athlete if you went to public school. You're only citius, altius, fortius because of mummy and daddy's money. State school makes you more rounded and more deserving.
Its all to do with fast twitch / slow twitch muscle fibres. East africans notably somali, kenyan, ethiopian and ugandans have a larger percentage of slow twitch compared to fast twitch. Like west african and carribeans have more fast twitch e.g. Usain bolt. The white race has in past been economically better as they enslaved people from romans right upto the slave trade. Nothing to do with genetics e.g. Slavers said that they had larger brains which is false. Whites are better at some sports than other races and other races are better than others. However in my opinion it is only seen at elite levels . BTW how is it racist that people take advantage of the genes given to them. Is it sexist that mo farah is beter than paula radcliffe at running. Your logic does not work troll.
Reply 8
I used an example very similar to this to explain why I don't think dyslexic people should get extra time in exams. If they get that, I want to be able to compete in Olympic 100m with a 30m head start.
If were going to be honest here the reason a lot of black people from the USA/UK/carribean are so good at running is because tphistorically slave owners selected for the best genes and so 'bred' that into them.

Not really a price most people would think was worth paying...
Original post by ridwan12
Its all to do with fast twitch / slow twitch muscle fibres. East africans notably somali, kenyan, ethiopian and ugandans have a larger percentage of slow twitch compared to fast twitch. Like west african and carribeans have more fast twitch e.g. Usain bolt. The white race has in past been economically better as they enslaved people from romans right upto the slave trade. Nothing to do with genetics e.g. Slavers said that they had larger brains which is false. Whites are better at some sports than other races and other races are better than others. However in my opinion it is only seen at elite levels . BTW how is it racist that people take advantage of the genes given to them. Is it sexist that mo farah is beter than paula radcliffe at running. Your logic does not work troll.


No it isn't.
Original post by ridwan12
Its all to do with fast twitch / slow twitch muscle fibres. East africans notably somali, kenyan, ethiopian and ugandans have a larger percentage of slow twitch compared to fast twitch. Like west african and carribeans have more fast twitch e.g. Usain bolt...


I think there's also some correlation between distance-running potential and having high-altitude heritage and/or upbringing, or at least higher-than-most-altitude; something to do with oxygen-absorption efficiency.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by redferry
If were going to be honest here the reason a lot of black people from the USA/UK/carribean are so good at running is because tphistorically slave owners selected for the best genes and so 'bred' that into them.

Not really a price most people would think was worth paying...


I think we should get reparations from black athletes for the slave trade
Original post by redferry
If were going to be honest here the reason a lot of black people from the USA/UK/carribean are so good at running is because tphistorically slave owners selected for the best genes and so 'bred' that into them.

Not really a price most people would think was worth paying...


This is soo borderline racist... Its to do with a high percentage of fast twitch muscle fibres. Were not horses you can breed to get an ultimate human. Type fast twitch usain bolt in google youll see how dumb you sound.
Original post by Axiomasher
I think there's also some correlation between distance-running potential and having high-altitude heritage and/or upbringing, or at least higher-than-most-altitude; something to do with oxygen-absorption efficiency.


No, it isnt there is no high altitude in east africa. High altitude does increase haemoglobin level but we can do that aswell. Majority is down to percentage of slow twitch muscle fibre thats what gived them the advantage.
Original post by redferry
If were going to be honest here the reason a lot of black people from the USA/UK/carribean are so good at running is because tphistorically slave owners selected for the best genes and so 'bred' that into them.

Not really a price most people would think was worth paying...


sorry lovey but this is absolute rubbish .
its got nothing to do with slavery . Its called hard work
Original post by ridwan12
No, it isnt there is no high altitude in east africa. High altitude does increase haemoglobin level but we can do that aswell. Majority is down to percentage of slow twitch muscle fibre thats what gived them the advantage.


When I say 'high altitude' I'm not talking about Himalayan altitudes, just a relatively high level above sea level when compared to other places - the idea may be contested but it is out there:

East Africa is a vast area encompassing the countries of Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and the continual dominance by athletes from this region has led to much discussion as to why they are so good. There are a number of mechanisms that have been proposed to account for this dominance, including:

Exposure to altitude all of their lives (as well as previous generations who have lived and trained at altitude).

Genetic predisposition to better distance running performance.

Increased physiological capacity due to running from an early age.

Psychological advantages due to stereotyping.

Cultural factors.


Living at altitude
As mentioned in Issues 3 and 4 of R4YL, the effect of altitude training on endurance performance has been researched extensively, with a widespread belief that it can enhance athletic performance at sea level. This improvement is due to an increase in red blood cells and/or local muscular adaptations such as an improved capacity to buffer lactic acid build-up in the muscles, and improved exercise economy. It is also thought that athletes who have lived and trained at high altitudes (known as altitude natives) have made physiological adaptations to make them predisposed to superior endurance performance. It has been proposed that long-term altitude exposure, along with endurance training, has a synergistic effect to increase red blood cells, and is one factor to account for the success of East African endurance athletes (4). Much of East Africa is located at altitudes between 1600m and 3000m above sea level, with the Rift Valley in Kenya and Ethiopia, the two most dominant countries in distance running, situated at altitudes between 2000m and 4000m.

www.runforyourlife.com.au

Original post by matthewduncan
sorry lovey but this is absolute rubbish .
its got nothing to do with slavery . Its called hard work


So anyone of they put in enough hard work can do that and it is nothing to do with genetics? Anyone can be an elite sportman!?
Original post by pane123
No it isn't.


Show me some scientific proof that shows white people have bigger brains. Its a slave trade myth which they used to justify their slavery
Original post by ridwan12
Show me some scientific proof that shows white people have bigger brains. Its a slave trade myth which they used to justify their slavery


http://www.news-medical.net/news/2005/04/26/9530.aspx

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