Length of stride, stride frequency, „flight” period and maximum distance between the feet during running with different speeds

SummaryAt low speeds a runner increases his speed mainly by increasing length of stride. At a certain (high) speed, which differs for different runners, the speed is increased mainly by an increase of stride frequency. The length of stride in walking equals the greatest distance between the feet. With increasing speed in running the length of stride increases more steeply than the greatest distance between the feet. The subjects mentioned here reached a maximum for length of stride of 210–218 cm and had a maximum distance between the feet of 150–155 cm. The difference is caused by the leg drive. This shows that the leg drive and not the length of legs has the greatest importance in lengthening the stride during fast running.The “flight period” increases with incresaed speeds to about 45–50% of the whole stride at the greatest speeds.