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Published on: September 14, 2017
Gait characteristics over the course of a race in recreational marathon competitors
John E A Bertram1, Leif Prebeau-Menezes, Matthew J Szarko
1Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T3H 2N1, Canada. jbertram@ucalgary.ca
Abstract:
We analyzed gait and function of the supporting limb in participants of a marathon race at three stages: prerace, midrace (18 km), and near the end of the race (36 km). We confirmed that the most successful runners were able to maintain running speed for the duration of the race with little change in speed or gait. Speed slowed progressively during the race for those with slower race times, but stride frequency-stride length relationships remained normal for the speed they ran. These findings differ from most lab-based studies of fatigue, in which runners are forced to match a constant preset treadmill speed. Small changes in maximum ground force were seen in both slow- and fast-running participants as race end approached.
