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And when all the minimalist/barefoot running fanatics watch this video they are thinking:

"See, I told all those heel-striking runners that when you run on your forefoot you run better!" :bang::craig::butcher:

 

He looks to be landing on the balls of his feet to me.

 

?????

 

The forefoot.

 

Sick note, it is not news that foot strike pattern is generally speed dependant. I'd venture a guess that most runners classified as 'heel strikers' would cease to be so when they started running approximately 30 miles per hour. This was, I suspect, the fact underpinning Kevin's tongue in cheek comment... and they say Americans don't get sarcasm...

 

"See, I told all those heel-striking runners that when you run on your forefoot you run better!"

Even here!!!!

Like I tell my patients with heel pain "if you want to run, sprint 100 meters and call it a day!"

Steve

 

Call. That's going in the best quotes thread.

 

Beyond the forefoot heel strike discussion, I would suggest that where the foot falls relative to the hips is equally, if not more important than the actual foot fall. When Bolts foot hits the ground it is under his hips, not in front of him. I would also suggest that this pattern would change in a longer distance event and a given athlete would utilize multiple footfall strategies at different points over the course of the event.

Thom

 

All the sprinters in the video shown have their foot strike occur approximately when the foot is directly under their center of mass (CoM). This is not the defining characteristic of what makes Usain Bolt the "world's fastest man". This is typical foot strike placement for nearly all accomplished sprinters in the midsection of their 100-200 meter race.

However, if the video had shown the beginning of the race, the foot strike would have been behind the CoM and if the video had shown their steps after they had crossed the finish line, their foot strike would have been ahead of their CoM. Why would athletes alter their foot strike placement relative to their CoM throughout a 100 meter race? Does this define what makes one athlete a faster runner than another athlete?

By the way you won't find any elite marathoners who have their foot strike under their CoM in the middle of their races, as they will always land with their feet slightly ahead of their CoM. Why is that?

 

"you should run far enough to make yourself feel dandy and if you don't, you've probably run too far" Fred Rohe, The Zen of Running, 1974

Dana