Benefits of forefoot strike for short distance running: Lack of awareness among Singaporeans.
Background Information
The two most common running techniques are forefoot strike and heel strike running.
According to a study of Hasewage 2007, “they looked at footstrike at the 15km mark in a half marathon. In the study, out of the 283 runners, 74.9% were rear foot strikers. The rest were midfoot and forefoot strikers. However, when you separate out the top 50 from the entire group, those who midfoot and forefoot strike jumps from ~25% to 38%. That significant difference showed that there was a tendency for more mid/forefoot strikers to be faster.” [1]
To date no research has been conducted with regards to the awareness on the two different running techniques among Singaporeans. Therefore it is important to equip Singaporeans with the knowledge and benefits of forefoot strike running technique.
Research Problem/ Research Objectives
Our study aims to investigate the level of awareness Singaporeans have towards forefoot strike running so as to bring across the effectiveness of this running technique to the public. This study also helps Singaporeans to pursue running more effectively.
Research Rationale
The reason why we chose to research on this topic is that there is no previous study being done before in Singapore. Furthermore, there is an increase in the number of people participating in half-marathons and marathons, and are unaware of the different running techniques. We will provide statistical field data by quantifying the level of awareness within our local community.
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Scope of study
Due to time and resource constraints, we will only be drawing from a small sample size. As this study is not an exhaustive study of the population, our sample size will only provide an estimation of population awareness. We will be carrying out our investigation on mainly people within age group of 18 to 28 years old.
Research Methods
We will be conducting an interviewer-administered survey of maximum 10 questions to 100 random NTU students. Responses will be obtained efficiently within a week. Students aged 18 – 28 years old will be eligible to participate in the study.
Targeted interview will be conducted with professionals and active runners regarding their opinions. We will also conduct a collection of statistics on the ratio of the number runners with heel strike to forefoot strike running from an official race (Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2011 on 17th September 2011).
Last but not least, an experiment will be conducted on athletes to discover the effectiveness of fore foot strike and heel strike running techniques.
Conclusion
This study will attempt to assess the level of awareness among Singaporeans towards the benefits of forefoot strike running technique. It is expected that the findings will prove the lack of awareness among Singaporeans and with the additional knowledge on this running technique, it is certain that there is a higher likelihood one’s performance will improve.
References
1. The Science of Running, Steve Magness
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/02/new-studies-on-footstrike-do-faster.html [1]
