Many of the world’s great sprinters have flat feet. In the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Bob Hayes tied the world record when he won the 100 meter dash, and five days later, he ran the anchor leg in the finals of the Olympic 400 meter relay. He took the baton with the US team in fifth place and he passed Jamaica, then Russia, then Poland and then France to run his 100 meters in an incredible 8.6 seconds, the fastest of all time. The next day, several newspapers reported that Hayes was the world’s fastest human in spite of being born with such terrible flat feet that he had to be put in casts to correct them. The newspaper articles should have said that Bob Hayes became the world’s fastest human in spite of ignorant doctors who almost ruined his athletic career by putting him in casts (Cochrane Library, Jan 26, 2022).
Today, most football coaches can pick their halfbacks just by watching them walk. The fastest runners are often flat footed, pigeon toed and bow-legged.
- Flat Feet: When you run, you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll toward the inside. This is called pronation. Most people with flat feet have normal arches, but they appear to be flat only because the ankles roll in excessively causing the arches to roll so far inward that they can touch the ground. This excessive rolling in causes the feet to hit the ground with greater force and therefore cause the heel to move forward faster so that the foot leaves the ground faster and helps the person to run faster (Gait & Posture, October 2008;28(3):405-411).
- Pigeon Toes: A tight, strong Achilles tendon in the back of the heel can cause a person to point their toes inward. It also can keep the heel off the ground when you run so you do not have to waste time landing on your heel and then having to raise your heel off the ground. Thus a person with pigeon toes can land on the front part of their feet and immediately step off to their other foot without wasting time landing on their heels.
- Bowed Legs: Bow-legged people have legs that curve outward and their knees whip inward as they step off from one foot to the other, which drives them forward with greater force and helps them to run faster.
