Fast-footed freaks of nature.

You know those sprinters that you watch running inhumanly fast during the Olympics? Well, it turns out that they really are genetic freaks after all!

A study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology measured the feet of 12 top college sprinters, only to discover that they all have short heels and long toes. Wired has published a great article about it, going into all kinds of nerdy, delicious detail:

To understand the paradox, the researchers set up a computer model of a sprinter’s push-off. The simulation revealed that despite providing a mechanical disadvantage, the short lever arm of a sprinter’s heel actually produced more force than the longer lever arm of a non-sprinter.

As for the toes:

According to the computer simulation, having long toes also makes sprinters speedier, by extending the time that a runner’s foot makes contact with the ground. “Early in the race, the only way you have to speed up is through interaction with the ground,” Piazza said. “If you want to speed up quickly, you need to have some meaningful interaction with the ground.”

When I was in high school, we used to mock the track team because they were all kind of skinny and inbred. I mean, football players dated cheerleaders, volleyball players dated soccer players, I dated anyone who would talk to me, band members dated color guard, etc.

The track team, however, just seemed to date each other.

It would appear that there was some validity to our cruel, childhood taunts.