Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The best foot strike for marathon runners is…heel strike?
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Watch the fastest marathon runner.
People say he heel strikes…other thing he mid foot strikes.
But honestly…does this really matter?
Based on research, the most economical foot strike is your habitual foot strike… aka the one you use the most. (Moore et al. 2016).
Contrary to popular belief, forefoot strike has not been shown to be more efficient…actually some studies favor heel striking as more economical...but don't dwell on this. (Gruber et al. 2013)
Now, the details of foot strike DO matter because they change force distribution (Kulmala et al. 2013).
Landing more toward the heel puts more pressure around the knees and hip, but less on the calf/foot region.
Landing more toward forefoot, puts less stress around knees, but more on the calf/foot area.
This can be a useful clinical tool to redistribute loading around injuries.
However again… contrary to popular belief, changing foot strike pattern in non-injured runners does not prevent injury (Anderson et al. 2020)
In injured runners, redistributing loads via footstrike change can be a useful tool, but that's not prevention…that's rehab.
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Keep in mind that this is for educational purposes only. This does not replace medical advice.
#running #footstrike #gait #runanalysis #runninginjury
-
Footage credits: @runnersnerd
The best foot strike for marathon runners is…heel strike?
-
Watch the fastest marathon runner.
People say he heel strikes…other thing he mid foot strikes.
But honestly…does this really matter?
Based on research, the most economical foot strike is your habitual foot strike… aka the one you use the most. (Moore et al. 2016).
Contrary to popular belief, forefoot strike has not been shown to be more efficient…actually some studies favor heel striking as more economical...but don't dwell on this. (Gruber et al. 2013)
Now, the details of foot strike DO matter because they change force distribution (Kulmala et al. 2013).
Landing more toward the heel puts more pressure around the knees and hip, but less on the calf/foot region.
Landing more toward forefoot, puts less stress around knees, but more on the calf/foot area.
This can be a useful clinical tool to redistribute loading around injuries.
However again… contrary to popular belief, changing foot strike pattern in non-injured runners does not prevent injury (Anderson et al. 2020)
In injured runners, redistributing loads via footstrike change can be a useful tool, but that's not prevention…that's rehab.
-
Keep in mind that this is for educational purposes only. This does not replace medical advice.
#running #footstrike #gait #runanalysis #runninginjury
-
Footage credits: @runnersnerd
