HackerAre athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? | David Epstein
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David Epstein revisits running records by adjusting modern mile times with an expert estimate for cinder tracks. Changing surfaces complicate any attempt to read physical improvement directly from records.
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So I consulted biomechanics experts to find out how much slower it is to run on cinders than synthetic tracks, and their consensus that it's one and a half percent slower.So if you apply a one and a half percent slowdown conversion to every man who ran his sub-four mile on a synthetic track, this is what happens.