Two Words on Matching Body Type to Sport: Forget It

If you’re small, you should run, and if you’re tall, you should swim. So goes the common wisdom about what kind of bodies perform better at what kind of sports. In this somewhat conflicted piece in the New York Times, Gina Kolata explains the physiological and physical reasons why tall swimmers do generally swim faster than short swimmers and why small, thin runners generally run faster than tall, heavily-built runners.
She points out that, among other things, tall swimmers also have
an advantage because when bodies are horizontal in the water, long bodies have an automatic edge. Distance running, says Kolata,
prefers another kind of body. Because running requires that
you lift your body off the ground with each step, propelling yourself
forward, the lighter you are, the easier the lift, and the faster you go.
Having said all that, Kolata reminds us that unless we plan to compete in the next Olympics, and Geezer does not, it matters less what we excel at than what we enjoy.
Read more in the New York Times.