His key was being able to stay below his lactic acid threshold until it was time to shift gears. As long as he could keep his blood lactic acid level from breaking upward he could preserve his famous kick. Many tried to "run the kick out of him", few succeeded. His real key was his aerobic fitness. When he changes speeds he switches energy systems. Many runners have that kind of leg speed, but it is good for about one minute. Most elite runners don't have the aerobic fitness to save it like he could.

@@Stacie45 That is about the objective of endurance training of all distance athletes. that they have to develop the ability to hold their breath, essentially run with limited oxygen maintaining low lactic acid threshold for longer distance and be able to accelerate towards the business end of the race , say with 4 or 5 rounds remaining in the 5km and 8-9 rounds in the 10 km race while in the end at the last lap or thereabout remain with strong devastating kicking speed. My limited experience in running tells me this requires huge daring and commitment in breaking that crazy barrier of tiredness and heavy breath that one faces during training especially when the tempo is increased going forward in training.

@@kirubeldagnachew1061 I have done treadmill testing and track testing for VO2max, with finger prick blood samples drawn at a series of speeds to measure blood lactic acid levels. For any athlete you can measure the pace at which the lactic acid curve breaks upward. This is the pace at which an athlete must switch from aerobic to anaerobic energy systems. The anaerobic system allows increased tempo, for a short duration. The higher the fitness level, the better the ability of the athlete to stay below the threshold.

a different style of racing back in those days.. sit and kick.. Yifter NEVER tried to take the lead or set the tempo in any races I've watched him in. I couldn't understand why others didn't try to attack the race with 1000 to go and neutralize his kick and make it a battle of attrition .

Nobody knows the exact birth date from Miruts but he was probably older than 31 this day

Solomon Wogayehu amen brother!

Who was Mohamed kedir running with miruts?

@@Lomi-Wuha I didnt know Mirus Yifter died. He was one hell of a quick runner

When he died?

I think that was Brendan's last race, if not last season ? A golden age indeed

Foster was well past his best at these games, his best chance at an Olympic gold was in 76 at the 10 k but he blew that by trying to double with the 5k as well and running a games record with Dixon in qualifying. In 72 he didn't have the basic speed to live with Vasala, Keino and Dixon in the final.

The African runners looked just as smooth as Viren.

@@lipstickonapalin8360 They ran team tactics on Viren, and #178 could legitimately be called for interference & disqualified.

@@kurtfrancis4621 Then that was his error. He was a great veteran and should have known better. But I also think he was on his decline and definitely not the same runner as he was in 76 or 72.

I don't appreciate "tactical races". 39 years ago or now.

@@kurtfrancis4621Not at all. It’s within the rules. Besides, Viren admitted using ‘reindeer milk’.

Remember HENRY RONO of kenya the fastest and world record holder then was not competing because of the boycott

FUKKIN BOYCOTT !!!!!!!!!

That's I enjoy a race with Ayana (Ethiopian) and Tadese (Eritrean); they race from the beginning; no waiting for last minutes...

many Ethiopians didn't know their age - particularly where he was born, same place I'm from, a nice city called Adigirat.

wikipedia says 15 may 1944 but admits there is doubt

Yea. It was like a suspense movie

What are you talking about. Lasse made already 1972 a WR in 10k, 27.39 something

Did John Treacy go on to win the silver medal behind Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the Marathon, Charlie Sledding of Brittain 3rd?

@@andrewdunne1735 4 years later, in LA!

Lassy viron..Blood doped...yes in 2 previous Olympics

@@nullapinno There is no evidence to back that canard up . Arthur Lydiard left no stone unturned with Viren and was years ahead of his time, incorporating advanced plyometrics, strength training, threshold training and marathon level endurance work into his conditioning regimen. His 5th place finish in the 1976 Olympic Marathon is one of his greatest achievements. Compare Viren's running action and effiency of movement to that of his opponents, something often overlooked.

He must be a legend in Ethiopia

@@kurgatkogeiben5584 yes he is

Why was yifter wearing a red best and his countrymen green or are they from different countries

It’s not a team sport

If it was not for kedir he might have struggled.

@@michaelmcginley7930 idk the reason but they are from the same country

I agree

@@siwadedumelyayet474 Lasse Viren always tried very hard. You could see the pain on his face all the way. Yifter was so gifted, a small man but with a huge stride and such a relaxed, smooth style.

@@pukulu Viren was way past his prime then and Yifter was at his best in Moscow. When Viren was at his best, he easily beat Yifter in Munich 1972. Viren fell, was 30m behind others, got up, caught up everyone and still made a new world record.

@@arcticfoxx6120 I remember it well. Nobody else has ever done anything quite that incredible in a distance race on the track. Viren was not a small guy either. He had to carry a lot of weight around, not so easy in distance races.

@@pukulu Agree, except that "not a small guy" :) I met the guy and got his his autograph when his statue was opened in Helsinki. That man is tiny :) When average finnish adult men is nearly 100kg, then Viren was under 60kg even 20 years after his career. His official height given in wiki is also wrong, he is not 180cm. 175cm at best.

So what, doesn't mean he would have won the Olympics. Each race has it's own dynamic.

Yifter made Virgin look pedestrian in the World Cup the year before, 1979

+Simo Lämsä Don't forget that Yifter was like 40 years old when he won his double at the Moscow olympics. I wonder what he could have done at Viren's age if he had Viren's opportunities. Besides Viren was blood doped (which was legal in those days) and he was still not able to match Yifter's destructive pace.

+Aaron tewelde Nobody knows Yifter´s exact age,perhaps he himself :) He was already bronze medalist in Münich 1972. African runners born and grow in mountainous areas,so they got the same kind of benefits inherent in.For me and many others Lasse Viren is great champion,whether he doped or not .

Simo Lämsä When Yifter competed at the Munich games, he had just started his professional career and he never had any of the opportunities and experience that Viren had. Nobody knew Yifter's exact age but 40 was a resonable estimate based on some research which the olympic committe did. You can even look at the man and tell he is old. He did not get to compete at the '76 olympics because of the boycott but everyone knew he was a serious threat to Viren. Blood doping has greater benefits than altitude -that is why the IAAF banned it. You may not like to admit it but Yifter was better than Viren.

And what is funny is that Viren virtually competed only in the olympics. He would simply tranfuse blood before a race. That way, he would have plenty of oxygen supply and still feel good on the last lap. He never had the natural talent of most of his competitors.

I can only wonder,that Lasse still victimizing after so many years.Viren participated 1971 and 1974 European Championships and reached 5000 meter bronze medal in Rome 1974.Athletics World Championships started 1983 in Helsinki.

That's why they called him Yifter the Shifter. He could shift into another gear in nothing flat to destroy his opponents.

YES YES!!!!!!!!YIFTER THE SHIFTER !!!!!!!!!! LEGEND !!!!!!!!

Kedar the best suges ever in history

Belay Kassahun and ecology 🤣😂👍

and spelling !

And paleontology just kidding! Amazing race!

The only one really old was Yifter. Viren retires that year but he was just 32 and the other medalists were in their 20s. It's the haircuts what make them look older, you had to rock the fro back then, this is before Jordan made shaving your head "cool".

@@mbengaful thanks for this info. Really helpful

well its longer so its more natural. But thats not a bad thing in the Olympics. The human body is best built for these kinds of races