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Published: Sept. 30, 2020, 4 a.m.

Forget About Your Form and Just Wear the Right Shoe: Biomechanist Dr. Iain Hunter

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Every runner dreams of running faster with less effort, with minimal chance of injury.\xa0 To do that, we often think we need to \u201cfix\u201d our running form to become more efficient. Dr. Iain Hunter, a running biomechanics researcher, thinks you just might be wasting your time trying to run like someone you are not and tells us what to do instead.

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Iain shares his expertise with Coach Claire on topics that include if running mechanics can be improved, footstrikes, how to build strength outside of running, how different types of footwear affect performance, how to know which shoes to choose, and how we can run faster.

Iain, a biomechanics professor at Brigham Young University, is also part of a research team that helped determine just how much the controversial Nike VaporFly 4%s really helps you run faster. He shares the results of the study and the actual range of performance improvement attributable to the shoes (Hint: It's not always 4%).\xa0 His test subject for the study was none other than Jared Ward, the American Olympic Marathoner headed to London on October 4.

Iain has a mathematics education degree with a coaching minor from BYU, followed by a\xa0 Master of Education in coaching. During this time, his interest in biomechanics grew, which led him to pursue a PhD in Health and Human Performance at Oregon State University. Iain teaches Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise and conducts research related to the biomechanics of distance running related to performance and injury. He also works with USA Track and Field,\xa0 applying his research to elite distance runners. He has been a member of the American Society of Biomechanics since 2003.

Iain\u2019s honors and awards include the USA Track and Field: USA Track and Field Sports Medicine and Science and the College of Health and Human Performance: College Teaching Excellence. For a list of his many publications and presentations, please refer to his bio at https://lifesciences.byu.edu/directory/iain-hunter.\xa0

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Questions Iain is asked:

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4:32 You research and teach about sports biomechanics at Brigham Young University.\xa0 Can you first define what exactly that means and how you became interested in it?

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5:45 Would you say that athletes that understand their particular biomechanics well will be able to perform their best?

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6:23 Let's talk about running mechanics.\xa0 There seems to be no such thing as "perfect form" because top level athletes seem to run very differently and still succeed.\xa0 But can you improve on your running mechanics to run more efficiently and therefore perform better?\xa0 How?

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7:44 Let\u2019s talk about footstrike. Everybody asks, \u201cIs there a proper way to hit the ground?\u201d and \u201cHeel striking is bad\u201d, and \u201cForefoot striking is good.\u201d Can you talk a little bit about that?

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9:49 Runners come in all shapes and sizes. Taller runners are going to have a different cadence than shorter runners. Is that correct?

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10:25 What about an athlete that continues to be injured and you look at something about their form. How do you make changes in a form because they really are getting injured from their preferred way of running?

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12:55 I would think that if runners practice through their injury, changing their footstrike, that they would eventually learn to prefer that footstrike, but you don\u2019t see that happening?

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14:01 You kind of get used to running a certain way that\u2019s right for your own body, and that\u2019s hard to fix, right? So should we as coaches even both trying to change people\u2019s form?

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15:09 The most common reasons we think about changing our form is first of all, injury prevention, and second of all, speed and efficiency. We want to become faster runners over longer distances. So you say that it\u2019s just more about practicing running that\u2019ll become a better runner rather than changing our form?

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16:11 What about outside of running? Surely you recommend strength training, and physical therapy, and all of that sort of thing. What sort of things should we runners be doing outside of the run?

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18:30 Any tips for the knees?

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20:04 Along with Olympian Jared Ward, you and a team of researchers set out to determine how much Nike's VaporFly 4% improved performance.\xa0 How was this study done and what were the results?

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22:10 What were the differences in the people who were at each end of the Nike VaporFly performance bell curve?

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23:20 The results from your study have obviously been used to help other companies compete with Nike. Is that correct?

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25:53 It\u2019s more than just the carbon fiber plate; it\u2019s the foam that does the work or a combination that\xa0 makes this shoe effective?

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27:03 I know that the foam, they have made some rules on the stack height of the shoe. Can you talk about what that is all about? Why would a higher shoe increase performance?

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28:12 You mentioned that you saw that there was better recovery when wearing those shoes. Were you able to test that, like how a racer feels after the marathon?

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28:49 Is the difference in muscle damage related to this new style of racing shoe simply because the foam absorbs some of the shock, or any reason why?

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29:35 You\u2019ve done a lot of research on shoes from barefoot shoes, minimalist shoes, spikes, all of that.\xa0 Can you explain how our choice of footwear affects our performance overall?

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32:14 Because different types of shoes serve different purposes, you should have a quiver of shoes in your closet?

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32:47 How often should you change your shoes? When do you know when to toss them away or donate them? Any advice on that?

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33:53 What are you researching now and what questions are you looking to get answered in the future?

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36:18 Most people know if they are good uphill runners and downhill runners, right?

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36:45 Do we have different mechanics on uphill and downhill, most people?

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39:47 Any predictions for the London marathon coming up October 4th?

Questions I ask everyone:

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37:26\xa0 1.\xa0 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you started running, what advice would you give?

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39:07 2.\xa0 What is the greatest gift running has given you?

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41:50 3. Where can listeners connect with you?

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Quotes by Iain:

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\u201cI\u2019d say trust the body first, but then take into account your own thoughts and coach\u2019s thoughts to help guide some potential changes in your biomechanics.\u201d

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\u201cWith just about any human activity you can think of, the body realizes, \u2018Here\u2019s a way that I can do this with less energy cost to me,\u2019 and running is included there, where if you just let it happen, that\u2019s the technique that will use the least energy.\u201d

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\u201cI like to say, \u2018Well, why are you going on this run?\u2019 And if they have a good answer for that, then I can suggest, \u2018Here\u2019s the appropriate shoe for that purpose.\u2019\u201d

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Take a Listen on Your Next Run

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Mentioned in this podcast:\xa0

Biomechanics.byu.edu

PodiumRunner article on Jared Ward and Iain Hunter helping Saucony develop faster racing shoes

Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

claire@runnersconnect.net

Follow Iain on:

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Instagram

Twitter

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