¶ … Runners (a Short Distance Runner a Long Distance Runner Running Styles

There are a host of differences that abound between long and short distance runners. Athletes who participate in either of these styles of running usually have innate characteristics that lead them to pursue either longer or shorter distances. These characteristics and the difference in styles they produce become more pronounced the longer an athlete trains and engages in one of these two types of running. The primary distinction between these two styles is attributed to the fact that shorter distance races require more explosiveness, upper body and general muscular strength, and higher levels of natural talent. Longer distances require greater quantities of stamina, more technical savvy and strategy related to pacing, and less need for natural talent.

There are several technical aspects of sprinting that revolve around proper form and starting position, all of which aid runners in getting off to a fast start. In many sprinting...

Sprinters spend a significant amount of time focusing on their starting position and their ability to accelerate out of a stationary position as quickly as possible. The training for this type of work involves requires a visceral explosiveness that is refined through practice and is largely missing from those who compete in longer distances.
The technical aspects of the form required for successful long distance runners are associated more with comfort than explosiveness. Distance runners utilize a form that is based on comfort because the nature of these events requires a physical stamina and endurance that is largely missing from shorter distance events. Distance runners work on getting a particular stride that allows them to take up as much ground as possible and to continue doing so for several miles at a time. As such, these runners tend to stand more erect, or perhaps even slightly…