The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

QWOP is a Flash game you can play for free online:
https://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html

Or download: (Note that at least one virus scanner says this contains non-viral adware. I haven't seen ads or experienced any problems.)
https://www.gamezone.com/downloads/qwop/download

The narration explains pretty much everything. Below are some additional notes that didn't make it into the final cut of the video.

Controls

There's a certain symmetry to the controls. Whenever the left knee is bent it's safe to assume that the right knee is extended to an equal degree. During the power phase of a stride the leading thigh is pressed downward (forcing the leading foot to the ground) and the knee is extended as it passes below your body. These same controls automatically cause your trailing leg to recover - to come forward and bend the knee.

If you wanted individual controls to flex/extend each part of each leg, it would require 8 controls. Then the name of the game would be QWERUIOP!

Marching

I actually did it backwards, learning to sprint before I could march. Here's a video of one person who marched the full 100 meters. I hesitate to promote his videos because all he knows how to do is march and yet he refers to himself as The Best QWOP Player in Existence. Maybe he's trying to be ironic.

I don't know if it's just the way I play or the game itself but I only have to make the "Q before P" adjustment on the left leg. The right knee usually has enough bend so I just press W and O simultaneously.

Running

It's easier to pull off a save from a backward lean when you have forward momentum. I've been in what looked like a certain wipe-out position and managed to roll back into upright posture. The easiest way to learn how to do this is to bail out to marching when you get into trouble running. Just hold down the keys for the current stride. If you're leaning backward, momentum and gravity are your friends once that trailing foot hits the ground.

Another thing you can try when leaning forward is to press the calf button before the thigh. This kind of pokes your leading leg out there. I haven't had much success with it but it may work for you.

100 Meter Run

Besides the hurdle, the other Easter Egg is the long jump at the end. You only need to go 100.0 meters to win. If you want to attempt a real jump, my advice is to be sprinting quickly. Once over the long jump pit, just press the calf button (O or P) for what would have been your next stride. This straightens your leading leg and tucks your trailing leg. The idea is for your leading foot to touch down first while fully extended. So far I've only managed to get 100.9 meters. I've read that the world record is 103.5 but haven't found a video or photo. (Scooting on the hurdle like a sled doesn't count.) To get that kind of distance you'd probably also need some vertical bounce, which I generally try to avoid because it slows your forward velocity.