Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Josh Kerr just ran the fastest mile in history, and if you only looked at his foot you'd probably say he "overpronates." Most runners are taught that's a flaw to fix. It usually isn't.
Quick honesty note on the science: the study I referenced looked at foot posture, basically how pronated your foot looks standing still, not the dynamic roll you actually see while he's running. Those aren't the same thing, so I'm not claiming it proves Kerr's motion is exactly how you should move. There are actually times I limit this motion depending on certain injuries. What it does do is knock down the blanket idea that more pronation means more injury.
One more thing on his forefoot strike that I didn't fully get to. It's not just about shifting load into the calf and Achilles. Landing more toward the forefoot also puts the foot in a position to cycle through the step faster. Quicker turnover lets you lift your cadence, and bumping cadence is a classic move you'll see runners reach for late in a race when they're hunting another gear. Watch most fast finishes and the steps get quicker, not just longer.
Anyway, that's my rambling on why "fixing" pronation is usually solving a problem that was never there. And I'm not done with the foot yet. Next one's on where his foot actually lands relative to his body, aka the overstriding thing every runner gets cued on. Follow so you catch it.
#runanalysis #mile #trackandfield
Josh Kerr just ran the fastest mile in history, and if you only looked at his foot you'd probably say he "overpronates." Most runners are taught that's a flaw to fix. It usually isn't.
Quick honesty note on the science: the study I referenced looked at foot posture, basically how pronated your foot looks standing still, not the dynamic roll you actually see while he's running. Those aren't the same thing, so I'm not claiming it proves Kerr's motion is exactly how you should move. There are actually times I limit this motion depending on certain injuries. What it does do is knock down the blanket idea that more pronation means more injury.
One more thing on his forefoot strike that I didn't fully get to. It's not just about shifting load into the calf and Achilles. Landing more toward the forefoot also puts the foot in a position to cycle through the step faster. Quicker turnover lets you lift your cadence, and bumping cadence is a classic move you'll see runners reach for late in a race when they're hunting another gear. Watch most fast finishes and the steps get quicker, not just longer.
Anyway, that's my rambling on why "fixing" pronation is usually solving a problem that was never there. And I'm not done with the foot yet. Next one's on where his foot actually lands relative to his body, aka the overstriding thing every runner gets cued on. Follow so you catch it.
#runanalysis #mile #trackandfield
