The Effect of Stride Frequency on Running Performance at the Speed of VO2 max

Running economy (RE) is a critical factor to determine running performance (RP) either duration or distance. Among many variables influencing to RE, stride frequency (SF) is one of the important variables. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SF variations on RP at the speed of VO2 max (sVO2 max). Twelve male recreational runners (age: 25.8 ± 4.9 yrs, height: 171.4 ± 6.2 cm, mass: 71.9 ± 7.5 kg, VO2 max: 54.0 ± 5.6 mL·kg-1·min-1, preferred SF (PSF): 89.3 ± 4.0 strides·min-1) completed a graded exercise test and running sessions. The subjects ran on the treadmill with 0% grade at the sVO2 max with 5 SF conditions (PSF, ±5%, ±10%) until volitional fatigue. The running speed was determined based on each individual's VO2 max via the metabolic equation. The running distance, duration, energy expenditure (kcal), and VO2 were significantly different across SF variations (P