Secret Spring in a Sprinter's Step: How Tendons Power the World's Fastest

At the famous Stade de France in Paris, the fastest runners on Earth are battling it out to decide who’s the fastest of them all. But what's their secret?

Ever wondered what makes the world's fastest runners so speedy?

Usain Bolt winning the 100-m Olympic gold. PhotoBobil, CC BY 2.0

It's not just about strong muscles or a tough mind – it's also about something you might not expect: tendons!

Let's talk about muscles first. They're super strong, but they have a problem – they can't work fast enough on their own to make someone run as quickly as the top sprinters do. So how do these amazing athletes do it?

The answer is in their tendons! Tendons are like strong, stretchy bands that connect muscles to bones. They work like rubber bands to give runners extra power.

Here's how it works: When a muscle squeezes (or contracts), it stretches the tendon it's attached to. This stores energy in the tendon, just like when you stretch a rubber band. When the tendon snaps back, it releases this energy really quickly, giving the runner a big burst of power!

How muscles and tendons work together when we walk and run. Click to watch video.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndGUNOfS3t0

The best runners in the world have learned to use their tendons as "power boosters". They have extra stiff Achilles tendons (the ones at the back of your ankle) that act like powerful elastic bands for their calf muscles.

To get really good at using their tendons, and especially the Achilles tendon, top athletes do special training:

1. They do "plyometric" exercises, which are like bouncy movements.

2. They practice specific running drills to get the timing just right.

3. They do strength training to make their tendons stronger and stiffer.

The Achilles tendon is a very long tendon that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. When we hop, walk, or run, the Achilles tendon gets stretched as the foot lands on the ground and the calf muscles produce force, and then it recoils to push us into the next step. Elastic energy powers us!

 When you watch the race, you might see the runners warming up with bouncy movements. That's them getting their tendons ready for action!

As soon as the starting gun fires, you'll see the amazing power these athletes can create. While everyone's looking at their muscles, remember that it's actually the springy action of their tendons that's giving them that extra boost of speed.

So, who do you think will use their "tendon power" best and become the fastest person on Earth? We'll have to watch them race to find out!

Who knew that such small parts of our body could make such a big difference in running super fast!