Instrumenting Parkrun: Usefulness and Validity of Inertial Sensors

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Science
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Traditional running gait analysis is lab-based, costly, and restrictive.
• Wearable technology offers a practical, cost-effective alternative for naturalistic gait analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• Validate wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) gait measures against running performance.
• Explore the utility of IMUs for in-field gait analysis during a 5km run.
• Investigate correlations between gait characteristics, performance, and fatigue.

Main Methods:

• Ten healthy adults participated in an outdoor parkrun.
• Axivity AX6 IMUs were worn on each foot, recording tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data.
• Temporal gait characteristics were extracted using zero-crossing algorithms.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations were observed between performance time and gait cycle/ground contact time.
• Weak correlations were found for foot strike types.
• Modest changes in gait were noted with increased fatigue; no significant gender differences emerged.

Conclusions:

• The wearable IMU setup shows promise for continuous, in-field running gait analysis.
• This approach can provide valuable insights for performance enhancement and injury prevention strategies.
• Further research can refine the application of wearable technology in sports biomechanics.