Do you know your footstrike?

A recent analysis of how well people know their own footstrike has shown that, though most are pretty good at knowing if they’re forefoot strikers or heel strikers, one group of runners isn’t as great: those wearing minimalist shoes.

Of all 60 runners involved in the study, about 68 per cent correctly identified what type of runner they were, between the two options of forefoot or heel striker. Runners told those conducting the study how they thought they ran, then spent five minutes on a treadmill having their gait analyzed. Ninety per cent of runners who wore traditional running shoes knew what type or runner they were.

Bringing the overall number down were those who wear minimalist shoes. Fewer correctly identified their running style. Over 40 per cent were incorrect, many thinking they were forefoot strikers when they were not.

The researchers in the paper note that those wearing minimalist shoes while heel striking may be at a higher risk of injury than other runners, though all the runners in the study had been injury-free for at least the three months leading up to it.