The importance of stride length and stride frequency in middle distance running

Abstract

From the literature it is evident that there is no clarity whether or not middle distance runners should use shorter or longer stride lengths and higher stride frequencies. To address this problem, 30 North-West Province road runners were selected on a stratified basis according to their performances. The stature, total leg length, thigh length, lower leg length, body mass, percentage body fat, stride length, stride frequency and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2-max) were measured as independent variables. The distance the athletes ran in 12 min. was measured as the dependent variable. Different multiple regressions were done to determine the contribution of the independent variables to explain the distance covered in 12 min.. Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients were also done. Results indicated that stride frequency and stride length of a group of middle distance runners were inversely proportional to each other, which means that the runners used higher stride frequencies in combination with relatively smaller stride lengths. It was also found that the better runners have faster stride frequencies and that provincial middle distance runners use lower stride frequencies than international middle distance runners.


Key Words: Biomechanics, stride length, stride frequency, maximum oxygen consumption, leg length, middle distance runners, road runners.


AJPHERD Vol.10(3) 2004: 238-247