How Does Weight Affect Running?

Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., exercise physiologist and assistant professor of interdisciplinary health sciences, is featured in a British GQ article about how weight affects running speed. 

According to Rothstein, “The physics of it are simple. A bigger person is going to utilise more energy moving their mass at any speed than somebody who’s smaller.” 

Excess body weight can take a toll on a runner’s ability to maintain over time.

“You could have excellent form,” Rothstein explains, “but because you’re wearing more mass, it’s going to be harder to maintain that form – things like keeping your spine erect or keeping your forward lean at the ankles.”