Foot-Strike Pattern and Performance in a Marathon

NewsBot · Apr 17, 2013

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Foot-Strike Pattern and Performance in a Marathon
Mark E. Kasmer, Xue-cheng Liu, Kyle G. Roberts, Jason M. Valadao
IJSPP Volume 8, Issue 3, May 2013, 8, 286 – 292

Purpose: To determine prevalence of heel strike in a midsize city marathon, if there is an association between foot-strike classification and race performance, and if there is an association between foot-strike classification and gender.

Methods: Foot-strike classification (forefoot, midfoot, heel, or split strike), gender, and rank (position in race) were recorded at the 8.1-km mark for 2112 runners at the 2011 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon.

Results: 1991 runners were classified by foot-strike pattern, revealing a heel-strike prevalence of 93.67% (n = 1865). A significant difference between foot-strike classification and performance was found using a Kruskal-Wallis test (P < .0001), with more elite performers being less likely to heel strike. No significant difference between foot-strike classification and gender was found using a Fisher exact test. In addition, subgroup analysis of the 126 non-heel strikers found no significant difference between shoe wear and performance using a Kruskal-Wallis test.

Conclusions: The high prevalence of heel striking observed in this study reflects the foot-strike pattern of most mid-distance to long-distance runners and, more important, may predict their injury profile based on the biomechanics of a heel-strike running pattern. This knowledge can help clinicians appropriately diagnose, manage, and train modifications of injured runners.
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Admin2 · Apr 17, 2013

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NewsBot · Jul 17, 2013

The relationship of foot strike pattern, shoe type, and performance in a 50-km trail race
Kasmer, Mark E.; Liu, Xue-cheng; Roberts, Kyle G.; Valadao, Jason M.
Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: 15 July 2013

Recent "in-race" studies have observed the foot strike patterns of runners in traditional road marathon races. However, similar studies have not been conducted for trail runners, which have been estimated to account for 11% of all runners. The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine the rear-foot strike (RFS) prevalence in a 50 km trail race and compare with traditional road marathon races; 2) determine if there is a relationship between foot strike and sex in a 50 km trail race; and 3) determine if there is a relationship between foot strike, shoe type, and performance in a 50 km trail race. 165 runners were videotaped at the 8.1 km mark of the 2012 Ice Age Trail 50 km race. Foot strike analysis revealed RFS prevalence of 85.1%, less than previously reported in traditional road marathon races. There was no relationship found between sex and foot strike (p=0.60). A significant effect of shoe type on foot strike (RFS was less common among runners in minimalist shoes, p<0.01) and performance (faster runners were more likely to be wearing minimalist shoes, p<0.01) was observed; however, no association between foot strike and performance was observed (p=0.83). This study suggests that most trail runners, albeit less than road runners, prefer a RFS pattern, which is accompanied by biomechanical consequences unique from a non-RFS pattern and therefore, likely carries a unique injury profile. In addition, the findings in this study suggest that minimalist shoes may represent a reasonable training modification to improve performance.
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NewsBot · Oct 22, 2013

FOOT STRIKE PATTERN trends in sub-elite half marathon runners
Dustin Bakkie, Melissa A. Mache, Christine Johnson, Paula Garcia-Krauss, Keith Kendall, ChengTu Hsieh
International Conference on Biomechanics in Sports (2013)

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in foot strike patterns throughout a sub elite half-marathon and examine the relationship between foot strike pattern and race performance. Race participants were filmed at mile 2, 5.5 and 12.5. Video was analysed to determine if participants used a forefoot, mid-foot strike or rear foot strike pattern at each camera. Furthermore participants were broken down in performance groups of 50 based off of time taken to reach each camera. At mile 5.5 and 12.5 significant difference in foot strike pattern (P<.01) was observed; as well as significant linear relationships between performance groups and strike pattern (P<.01). Based on the present findings we hypothesize that when fatigued sub-elite half marathoners default to the most efficient foot strike pattern.
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NewsBot · Oct 23, 2013

Foot strike pattern and gait changes during a 161-km ultramarathon
Kasmer, Mark E.; Wren, Jeremy J.; Hoffman, Martin D.
Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: 21 October 2013

Foot strike pattern has not been examined during ultramarathons where fatigue or avoidance of impact might have greater affect on foot strike and other gait parameters than in shorter events. In this study, video analysis from three level sites at a 161-km ultramarathon was used to: (1) examine changes in foot strike pattern, stride rate, and stride length; (2) determine if foot strike pattern is related to performance; and (3) ascertain if post-race blood creatine phosphokinase (CK) concentrations differ by foot strike pattern. Rear-foot strike (RFS) prevalence was 79.9%, 89.0%, and 83.9% at 16.5, 90.3 and 161.1 km, respectively. There was a significant distance effect observed between the 90.3 km and 161.1 km site for stride rate (p<0.05) and across all distances for stride length (p<0.0001), but stride rate and length were stable among the top-20 finishers. There was no effect (p=0.3) of foot strike pattern on performance. However, top-20 finishers had greater use (p=0.02) of a non-RFS pattern at 161.1 km than the remaining finishers. There was a trend toward greater post-race blood CK values among non-RFS compared to RFS runners, reaching significance at the 90.3 km site (p<0.05). Thus, the increased RFS prevalence by race mid-point was likely due to greater muscular demands of non-RFS patterns as supported by the higher post-race blood CK concentrations among non-RFS runners. Faster runners maintained higher stride rates and lengths throughout the race and made greater use of a non-RFS pattern at the end of the race compared with the slower finishers.
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NewsBot · Mar 4, 2014

Is the rearfoot pattern the most frequently foot strike pattern among recreational shod distance runners?
Matheus Oliveira de Almeida, Bruno Tirotti Saragiotto, Tiê Parma Yamato, Alexandre Dias Lopes
Physical Therapy in Sport; Available online 26 February 2014

Objective:
To determine the distribution of the foot strike patterns among recreational shod runners and to compare the personal and training characteristics between runners with different foot strike patterns.
Design:
Cross-sectional study
Setting:
Areas of running practice in São Paulo, Brazil.
Participants:
514 recreational shod runners older than 18 years and free of injury.
Outcomes measures:
Foot strike patterns were evaluated with a high-speed camera (250 Hz) and photocells to assess the running speed of participants. Personal and training characteristics were collected through a questionnaire.
Results:
The inter-rater reliability of the visual foot strike pattern classification method was 96.7% and intra-rater reliability was 98.9%. 95.1% (n= 489) of the participants were rearfoot strikers, 4.1% (n= 21) were midfoot strikers, and four runners (0.8%) were forefoot strikers. There were no significant differences between strike patterns for personal and training characteristics.
Conclusion
This is the first study to demonstrate that almost all recreational shod runners were rearfoot strikers. The visual method of evaluation seems to be a reliable and feasible option to classify foot strike pattern.
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NewsBot · Aug 12, 2020

Footstrike pattern at the 10 km and 39 km points of the Singapore marathon in recreational runners
Kim Hébert-Losier et al
Footwear Science : 10 Aug 2020

The prevalence of rearfoot striking is ∼60% in elite marathoners, but ∼90% in North American and European recreational marathoners. Recent data indicate that this prevalence is ∼70% in Asian recreational marathoners. How this prevalence changes throughout the course of a marathon remains undocumented. We filmed 350 runners at the 10 km and 39 km marks of the Singapore marathon (∼71% Asian field), and classified footstrike patterns in 347 and 327 runners at these locations. The prevalence of rearfoot, midfoot, forefoot, and asymmetric patterns was 65%, 21%, 33%, and 11% at 10 km, which differed significantly from the corresponding 77%, 15%, 1%, and 8% at 39 km (p < 0.01). The prevalence of non-rearfoot strikers at both filming locations was greater than reported in the literature for North American recreational marathoners (p < 0.01), but lower than reported for non-Asian elite marathoners (p ≤ 0.02). The 12% increase in rearfoot strikers at the later mark of the marathon in our Asian cohort of recreational runners was greater than the 5% increase reported for the North American-based cohort (p < 0.01), but comparable to the one reported for non-Asian elite runners (p = 0.97). Our findings confirm previous conclusions that running research should consider and report ethnicity alongside performance standards given that both can (in part) explain biomechanical differences in running gait. Noteworthy is that numerous factors can influence marathon performance and fatigue that here remained unaccounted for, including age, sex, course profile, footwear, and environmental conditions.
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