Master of Clydesdales

Ben's ruminations on age, injury, and the backhanded honor of the "Master" title reminded me of the additional running title that I have, as long as I've been running, been the... proud?  holder of.

Clydesdale.

A "Clydesdale" is a weight class for male runners, based on analysis that men over 170lbs show a decline in running performance relative to men of the same age, but of a lower weight.  The "Clydesdale" class was thus born, for men over 200lbs.  There's a similar weight class for women, with the even more kick ass title of "Athena".

Here's the deal.  I haven't weighed 170lbs since the early nineties.  I am, as one of my coworkers once referred to me, "A large man with lots of technical power".  A fondness for high ABV craft beers has left me comfortably above the standard Clydesdale minimum weight of 200lbs for the last 10 years.  I'd currently define my running style as "deliberate".  

The half dozen or so 5K's I've taken part of have been amusing for me, watching dudes half my age and half my size speed through the course like A-wings, while I maneuver myself amiably towards the finish line like an MG-100 StarFortress SF-17.  Hell, my very first 5K, I hit the two mile marker in time to see the winner, who I easily had 60lbs on, running BACK towards me to meet up with some coworkers who were running in front of me.  It's simple physics.  I have more mass to move, and even if I was applying the same amount of energy (which I'm not, because I am far from an efficient engine), I'm gonna move slower.

Of course, more mass also means more lbs per inch of force on my knees and ankles, and being a heavier runner means more Advil, longer recovery times, and a higher risk of injury.

Of course, on the downhills I am UNSTOPPABLE.