Elite midstriker/toe runners?

Most of the fast ones do. Why?

I'm not sure if "most of the fast ones" do?? I was just reading that literally like the top 20% field in boston all heal strikes, i am a toe runner and feel like i'm at a disadvantage, was hoping to find some elite level toe runners out there.

illinoisdude wrote:

I was wandering if anyone know of any elite level midstriker or specifically runners who run more on there toes?

I would say that a majority of runners on the track run midfoot/toe and on the road it's still probably a majority but less of one due to the construction of the shoe. The more heel/toe drop the harder it is to toe/midfoot strike. You can see Wanjiru striking with his midfoot in that video but the guys in london are wearing much bigger shoes and whoever that was on the right seemed to have the biggest heel of all of them and seemed to be heel striking. Ritz is a track runner who is a heel striker as was Pre. I used to be and no longer am and no longer get injured. I'm also faster but I don't think that's a product of my toe/midfoot strike, I just trained more and I'm in better shape.

Thanks yeah, that's what i was looking for more distance/road running.

illinoisdude wrote:

I'm not sure if "most of the fast ones" do?? I was just reading that literally like the top 20% field in boston all heal strikes, i am a toe runner and feel like i'm at a disadvantage, was hoping to find some elite level toe runners out there.

Why would toe running be a disadvantage? Just keep your point of impact under/behind you

Ian Hunter of BYU got some pictures during the Olympic Trials last year. These are some of the best I've seen, but they really just reinforce that all footstrikes can be successful.

Women's 10k

http://biomechanics.byu.edu/footstrikeswomens10k.jpg

Men's 10k

http://biomechanics.byu.edu/footstrikesmens10k.jpg

Rupp 10k

http://biomechanics.byu.edu/footstrikes10krupp.jpg

Men's 5k

http://biomechanics.byu.edu/footstrikesmens5k.jpg

Women's 800 (No surprise here!)

http://biomechanics.byu.edu/w800final.jpg

nope nope nope wrote:

Ritz is a track runner who is a heel striker as was Pre.

Ritz is not a heel striker, at least when he's racing on a track.

footstroke wrote:

nope nope nope wrote:

Ritz is a track runner who is a heel striker as was Pre.

Ritz is not a heel striker, at least when he's racing on a track.

I am not getting into a normal flame war that happens on lets run but I thought that AlSal tried to make him a forefoot striker and change his form from heel striker to forefoot striker and there were problems? I stand corrected.

footstroke wrote:

nope nope nope wrote:

Ritz is a track runner who is a heel striker as was Pre.

Ritz is not a heel striker, at least when he's racing on a track.

Actually, this is what I was talking about.

nope nope nope wrote:

footstroke wrote:

Ritz is not a heel striker, at least when he's racing on a track.

http://www.runblogger.com/2010/07/dathan-ritzenhein-switches-from-heel-to.html

Actually, this is what I was talking about.

Okay. That article directly contradicts your earlier statement that "Ritz is a track runner who is a heel striker." He's a track runner, but he's not a heel striker. He says it himself in that article, and there's slow-motion video on youtube of his footstrike during a track race. He doesn't strike with his heel first. Maybe he used to, but he doesn't now.

He's in third place in that video.

footstroke wrote:

nope nope nope wrote:http://www.runblogger.com/2010/07/dathan-ritzenhein-switches-from-heel-to.html

Actually, this is what I was talking about.

Okay. That article directly contradicts your earlier statement that "Ritz is a track runner who is a heel striker." He's a track runner, but he's not a heel striker. He says it himself in that article, and there's slow-motion video on youtube of his footstrike during a track race. He doesn't strike with his heel first. Maybe he used to, but he doesn't now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDlu7b1wDWQ

He's in third place in that video.

This what Ritz says in the interview ""I was definitely more of a heel-striker, so I'm definitely getting on to my midfoot more. I wouldn't say I get all the way up to my toe. I think I'm more efficient for the marathon if I stay in more of a midfoot stance anyway. But definitely, the posture of my body and the range of my stride, that's all stuff that has just kind of come through. Initially, the problem was we tried to focus solely on changing that without being strong enough to do it. We went back to trying to build it up from the strength side so it (the stride change) naturally took over instead of trying to think about it consciously. So that's the point where we'd at now; it's just a subconscious thing and I don't have to consciously think about changing my form anymore."

Read more at

I'm not arguing, I'm trying to clear this up that's all. Ritz has been a track runner and they were talking about altering his form. He was a heel striker is what I should have said and that he no longer is. That's why I mentioned AlSal changing his form.

kdkkd wrote:

Why would toe running be a disadvantage? Just keep your point of impact under/behind you

It's not so much the race as the training that's a problem for toe running. Sprinters of course run from the forefoot but distance runners doing that with much mileage puts great stress on the calves.

Many from Morceli to Ryan Hall run midfoot with the ankle dorsiflexed and the balls and heel striking at the same time.

Many will switch to toe running once the speed gets into the sprinting/kicking territory.

No argument with what you wrote here.

Almost everyone from 1500 down forefoot strikes. Most 5k/10k guys do as well, and it's only when you get into marathon distances that you really get a mixed bag.