BAREFOOT running is enjoying a continuing surge of popularity among recreational runners, but how does shoe-less running affect the kinematics of trained athletes? It was the aim of scientists from Leeds Beckett University in Leeds and the University of Limerick to find out in a study that looked at changes in stride length and lower-leg mechanics among competitive male track runners with an average 1500m PB of 3:59:80.
Athletes were asked to perform two trials on a treadmill, running first at a speed of 3m/ sec (8:56/mile) and then at a faster pace of 4.72m/sec (5:41/ mile). Results, published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, showed that the track runners demonstrated a much smaller reduction in stride length during barefoot running compared to joggers when operating at the 8:56/mile, which AW notes is far too slow for that level of runner to go at. They also displayed “greater hip, knee and ankle angles when running barefoot” than the recreational runners.
However, no significant changes to technique occurred at the faster speed.