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News16 Feb 2012


Foot Placement by Elite Sprinters During Bend Running

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What is the most optimal positioning of the foot in sprinting? Toes forward, inward or outward? And what about sprinting on a bend, which forces the runner to contend with the task of maintaining high running velocity while counteracting the effects of centrifugal force. Altering foot placement can lead to noticeable changes in the interaction between the runner’s musculoskeletal system and its underlying support (the ground) as well as in running efficiency. It is generally recommended that the foot should be placed with the toes turned slightly inwards on a bend.


The author analysed the bend running efficiency of the finalists in the men’s 200m at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics by comparing their time for the first 100m of the race with their yearly best performance over 100m and then examined television images of the race. He found that Usain Bolt, who set a world record of 19.19 sec in the race, was no better than 5th among the finalists for bend running efficiency, despite following the foot placement recommendation.


Among the conclusions are that world-class sprinters position their feet differently when sprinting around bends and that many turn their toes outwards without visible loss of efficiency.


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