2017 IAAF World Championship men's 10,000 m final (top 12 finishers, filmed on six laps): no rearfoot strikes at all, forefoot and midfoot strikers in similar numbers with similar finishing times, and no change in pattern even when speed fell and contact time rose mid-race
Footstrike patterns and ground contact times of the top 12 men (24 ± 5 years) were recorded at 150 Hz on laps 1, 5, 11, 15, 20 and 25; split times were taken for every 100-m segment.
Participants
n=12 men, top 12 finishers of the 2017 IAAF World Championship 10,000 m final; 24 ± 5 years.
Protocol
150-Hz video on six laps; footstrike (rearfoot, midfoot, forefoot), contact time and running speed per 100 m.
Key Results
No rearfoot strike patterns were observed.
No difference between the number of forefoot and midfoot strikers at any distance (p ≥ 0.581) and no change in their proportions (p = 0.383).
Forefoot and midfoot strikers had similar finishing times; no link between pattern and performance.
Speeds were slower and contact times longer in the middle of the race (p ≤ 0.024), with no effect on footstrike pattern.
Authors: anterior patterns reflect the capability of maintaining > 22 km/h; changes seen over longer distances may accompany fatigue.
Practical Application
Among world-class 10,000 m runners forefoot and midfoot landings performed alike, and nobody heel struck; within an anterior strike the exact type did not matter.
Inference: compared with the marathon at the same championships (REF-1105), shorter and faster racing goes with anterior landing; pace, not a chosen style, is the likely driver.
Limitations
Twelve men in one race; no women, no slower finishers.
No economy, kinetic or injury data; contact time from 150-Hz video.
Cannot show whether pattern follows speed or speed follows pattern.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
cross-sectional race video; one race, twelve athletes