Tall runner, long stride?

For years, running experts have tussled over the ideal cadence, which is the number of steps you take per minute. A popular guideline is to aim for 180 steps per minute – or, more generally, to aim for a slightly higher cadence than whatever you’re currently doing, with the goal of reducing the impact forces on your bones, muscles and joints with each footfall. However, when scientists have measured impact forces in large groups of runners, they’ve generally found no connection between runners’ naturally chosen cadences and the size of the forces they experience.

One possible explanation is that cadence depends on height, so the relationship between cadence and impact forces is muddled by the fact that t all runners take fewer strides at any given speed. In a recent study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, researchers at Harvard University’s Spaulding National Running Center put this theory to the test. Measurements on 82 runners, half of them injured and half of them healthy, found that taller runners did indeed tend to have longer steps and thus lower cadences.

The problem: even after accounting for height, there was still no link between cadence and impact forces. The search for an optimal cadence remains complicated: in addition to impact forces, cadence also affects efficiency, although there’s strong evidence that experienced runners tend to select their most efficient cadence automatically. One solid takeaway is, that if you’re a tall runner, you shouldn’t be surprised if your natural cadence is lower than some of your training partners.