# Foot strike Pattern and Cadence of the Marathon Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
## 1 Introduction  
For coaches and athletes, understanding how elite athletes develop their technique in real sports contexts provides valuable information for generating performance profiles of top athletes and identifying differences between the most and least successful competitors in a competitive setting. This context possesses unique characteristics that are distinct from training or controlled studies. Furthermore, integrating this information into training plans and strategies can help identify and correct technical errors, ultimately enhancing overall performance and preventing injuries. Analyzing athletes in real-world contexts requires a complex research methodology, given the limited control researchers have over the environment. However, the existing literature offers numerous examples of such studies conducted in events such as long jump [1] or marathons [2]. In recent times, long-distance road races have gained significant prominence [3]. Notably, several factors have contributed to this, including notable improvements in world records and athletes' personal bests, advancements in running footwear innovations [4], and the global rise in the number of recreational runners and popular races [3]. Thisevolving landscape has brought about significant changes in the field of athletics, making road races the events with the highest media coverage and sporting impact today. A notable example of this impact was the 1:59 Challenge held in Vienna, featuring [PERSON] as the protagonist. According to our current understanding, there is only one prior study that analyzed elite marathon athletes in a real sporting context, an event that took place during the World Athletics Championships in London in 2017 [2]. The Olympic Games is widely recognized as one of the most significant sporting events globally, both in terms of media coverage and its overall impact on the sporting world. However, to the best of our knowledge, no biomechanical analysis of the marathon event at the Olympic Games has been conducted to date. Among the various variables analyzed in long-distance running, the footstrike pattern holds great importance and has been the subject of numerous scientific studies, sparking ongoing debates. Three main types of footstrike patterns are recognized: heel, or rear, footstrike (RFS); midfoot strike (MFS); and forefoot strike (FFS). It is worth noting that the latter two stance techniques exhibit distinct biomechanical differences, although some studies consider them to be the same. FFS has been shown to involve increased muscle activity in the gastrocnemius muscles [5] and higher ankle torque compared with the other two techniques [6]. There is a prevailing trend advocating for MFS as the optimal landing technique for long-distance races. Several studies have concluded that this type of footstrike pattern reduces vertical impact [7], a variable closely associated with the risk of running-related injuries. [PERSON] et al. linked MFS running to improved performance and enhanced running economy [8]. Furthermore, studies focusing on running retraining techniques often employ a transition from RFS to MFS to mitigate injury mechanisms [9] and as a strategy for recovering from common running injuries [10]. Another study involving experienced non-elite athletes suggests that achieving better running economy entails seeking an MFS with a longer contact time [11]. However, another perspective suggests that there is insufficient evidence to support the notion that changing the running pattern from RFS to NRFS (non-rearfoot strikers) improves running economy or prevents injury risk factors [12]. Regarding the study that analysed the technique of the top eight athletes (finalists) at the 2017 London Marathon World Championships, several conclusions were drawn: the majority of elite athletes utilized a heel strike technique (65% of the analysed sample).