Limited Interchangeability of Smartwatches and Lace-Mounted IMUs for Running Gait Analysis

Spatiotemporal running metrics such as cadence, stride length (SL), and ground contact time (GCT) are important for assessing performance and injury risk. However, such metrics are traditionally assessed using laboratory-based tools that are often inaccessible in applied settings. Wearable devices including smartwatches and lace-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) offer promising alternatives, yet cross-device agreement in reporting spatiotemporal variables remains unclear. This study evaluated agreement between a commercial smartwatch and lace-mounted IMUs across varied distances and environments in 65 physically active adults (33 female/32 male, height: 171.0 ± 8.9 cm; weight: 70.9 ± 15.2 kg). Participants completed indoor and outdoor runs (2.5 km, 5 km, 10 km, 20 km) wearing both devices simultaneously. Average cadence demonstrated acceptable agreement (MAPE = 4.1%, CCC = 0.66) and supported equivalence, particularly among males, during outdoor conditions, and longer run distances. In contrast, peak cadence showed weak correlation (MAPE = 5.3%, CCC = 0.29), and SL and GCT demonstrated poor agreement (MAPE = 14.9-19.0%, CCC = 0.30-0.39) across all conditions. While average cadence may serve as a metric for cross-device comparisons, especially for males, and longer-distance outdoor runs, other spatiotemporal metrics demonstrated poor agreement, limiting interchangeability. Understanding device-specific capabilities is essential when interpreting wearable-derived gait data. Further validation using gold-standard tools is needed to support accurate and applied use of wearable technologies.