The country that develops the best sprinters in the world compared to the country that is most famous for producing the most elite endurance athletes.

While watching the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics I was fascinated by the fact that Jamaica completely dominated the sprinting events, whereas, Kenya on the other hand was the best country by far in the long distance races.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-usain-bolt-triple-triple-olympic-jamaica-4x100m-relay-a7200686.html

Jamaican athletes such as Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Usain Bolt put on truly spectacular performances, with Shelly Ann winning the gold medal in the 100m in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and Bolt winning the ''triple triple'' which meant that he won the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in all 3 Olympic Games.
As well as those two sprinting victories, other Jamaican sprinters also have incredible titles and achievements to boast about. Asafa Powell held the 100m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, until it was beaten by Usain Bolt who set the new world record of 9.58seconds in 2009.

Both the Jamaican women's and men's 4x100m relay teams are forces to be reckoned with as the women's team won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2015 World Championships and the men's 4x100m relay team have won numerous gold medals including the Beijing Olympics 2008, London Olympics 2012, and Rio Olympics 2016.

I have always wondered how and why an African country like Jamaica is able to produce such amazing sprinters and come out on top in events such as the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m?
I decided to research a bit about the country of Jamaica itself in order to find out a bit more about the conditions that elite sprinters like Usain Bolt train in, in the hope that I could come to a conclusion as to why this country is most dominant in the sprinting field.
After reading about the area of Jamaica and about elite Jamaican athletes, I came up with some theories as to why they excel in sprinting much more than any other country in the world.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3215245/Usain-Bolt-wins-World-Championships-gold-Jamaica-win-4x100m-relay-Great-Britain-USA-botch-final-handovers.html

I feel that it is to do with a number of reasons. Firstly, I think that due to Jamaica having quite a hilly landscape and region, runners there are able to push their bodies to their limits by running on the tough terrain, while at the same time strengthening their hamstrings which are very important when it comes to sprinting.
I also found out that the Jamaican diet consists mainly of really healthy plant based foods such as a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which fill their bodies with energy and fuel to perform at their best. There are also hardly any processed foods available to people in Jamaica which means that they are not filling their bodies with sugar and fatty, unhealthy foods.
Another  huge reason why Jamaican's are such good sprinters is due to the fact that they have a genetic predisposition towards fast twitch muscle fibres which are vital in order to run at a high speed. I found this out while watching the ''I Am Bolt'' movie and was quite intrigued by this fact.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-08/06/c_131764445_4.htm

After finding out about Jamaica and its huge sprinting success, I then wanted to look into distance running and about how Kenya and produce such excellent long distance runners.
A few ideas as to why Kenyans are so strong in endurance events sprung to mind, however, I needed to research in further depth in order to see if these were possible theories.

http://wunc.org/post/kenyas-kipchoge-wins-marathon-american-galen-rupp-third#stream/0

The first thing that immediately came to my mind was the physical shape of their bodies in comparison to other athletes. If you look at their body shape, you will instantly notice something quite similar about all of the Kenyan runners. Generally, they all tend to have very long legs, a short upper body and less mass for their height. Most, also seem to have very narrow calves and ankles, and studies have proven that this makes it easier for them to run faster for longer as they are carrying less excess weight from their lower body.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/marathon-women-live-results-mare-dibaba.html?_r=0

Another reason why I think Kenyans may have an advantage in long distance events is because of where they live and train. There is a very high elevation in Kenya and it has been recorded to be of about 7,000 feet. This would allow runners there to be able to train in much thinner air and at the same time train their lungs to be able to work harder with much less air. This high altitude training can benefit Kenyan runners massively as it enables them to run much more easily in big competitions like the Olympics or the World Championships.

What running is like as a sport and the different type of running distances and events that take place around the world.

http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/fd/52/rio-2016-olympics-medals_1hko0oaxehu981n9pd27g1h4z9.jpg?t=1344886861

Running is, in my opinion, one of the best sports in the world. Not only is there a never-ending list of health benefits that go along with it, but it is also offers great versatility as it has so many different distances and events that take place throughout the world.

There is such a broad range of health benefits from taking part in regular running sessions, including an improvement in your cardiovascular fitness, it helps strengthen both your muscles and bones, and also helps you to maintain a healthy weight while at the same time it manages to release feel good endorphins which leaves you feeling fresh and full of energy for the day ahead.

As well as being an excellent source of exercise, running is also a competitive sport that makes up a huge amount of big worldwide sporting events such as the Olympics. The great thing about running is that there are so many different races and distances for athletes to compete in so it never gets boring for spectators or the public to watch.

http://coresites-cdn.factorymedia.com/mpora_new/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mo-Farah--680x454.jpg

There are sprinting races, middle distance races,long distance races, and even ultra-distance events. The sprint events include the 100m,200m, and 400m sprint, while both the 800m and 1500m make up the middle distance events. Sprint relays such as the 4x100m,4x200m, and 4x400m have also proven to be hugely popular amongst athletes.

There are quite a large amount of long distance races including the 5000m and 10000m on the track, the marathon on the road, and also cross country. An event called the steeplechase is also a very popular long distance event, especially in the Olympics. It requires athletes to be able to run 3000m on the track while also managing to clear a total of 28 normal hurdle barriers and 7 water barriers along the way.

Ultra-distance events have become very popular in the recent years as it gives athletes a huge endurance challenge while also allowing them to take in all the beautiful surroundings that they pass by on the run. Races that are classified as ultra-distance events include any race that is longer than a marathon which is 26.2 miles. The most common ultra-distance races are the 50km,50mile,100mile, and 100km.

The Olympics,the IAAF World Championships,the European Athletics Championships, and the IAAF World Indoor Championships are the biggest athletic events for elite runners. The Olympics are held every 4 years, while the other 3 events are held every 2 years. The last Olympics took place in Rio, Brazil in 2016, and the next one will be in Tokyo, Japan in 2020. The World Championships are set to take place in London this year from the 4th to the 13th of August and I am literally bursting with excitement!

http://runnersfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bolt.jpg