Do I need to keep striking the ground harder in order to Run Faster or does it plateaus out?

You are asking in so many words if is better to sprint like Jesse Owens, Herschel Walker and Michael Johnson.

Fair enough, but I am talking under the context of distance running . Wasn't that obvious to you ?

Or let's say "Aerobic" to be exact , before it confuse another gen z

Good luck getting people to help you with that attitude.

Physics rules out your hypothesis because there is no way to generate more forward momentum than to push harder against the ground, which literally is more striking force when contact against the surface is on and off.

You could reduce the strike force with shorter strides and faster cadence but that quickly reaches a diminishing point and doesn’t reduce overall work done.

Stomp your feet and watch yourself take off like super man