• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Ground Contact Time, Stride Length and Fatigue in the 400m

You are here: Home / Coaching / Ground Contact Time, Stride Length and Fatigue in the 400m
9
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

February 12, 2009 by Jimson Lee 4 Comments

Last Updated on January 27, 2010 by Jimson Lee

This study showed the kinetic parameters at 150m and 350m during a 400m race. The male subject was the 44.94 by Thomas Schönlebe and the female subject was the 48.56 by Marita Koch.

The study was from “Incidenza dell’allenamento di forza su alcuni aspetti structurali delle prestazioni dei velocisti – esperienze degli allenatori della RDT” (Harmut Müller, Atleticastudi, 1, 1987 pp 25-58).

Thomas Schönlebe won the gold medal at the 1987 World Championships in Rome where he set a new European record of 44.33 sec that still stands today. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, he earned a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay.

Marita Koch set the current 400 meter world record of 47.60 seconds at the 1985 World Cup in Canberra, AUS. This performance is highly controversial due to the alleged drug use, and many people believe it should be wiped from the record books. In comparison, USA’s Sanya Richard’s PB is 48.60!

With all the talk about reducing ground contact time, you are probably wondering what is the correlation between Ground Contact Time, Stride Length and Fatigue in the 400m?

The 2nd 100 meter segment is considered the fastest of all 4 100 meter segments in a 400 meters, with the 150 meter mark being the fastest. Conversely, the last 50 meters in a 400 meters is the slowest (unless you are Butch Reynolds!).

Thus the study used 150m and 350 meters as key markers.


ground-contact-fatigue-400-meters.jpg




Note how stride frequency does not change, but velocity, stride length and ground contact time degrades.

So there to you have it.

See also  Ben Johnson, Bruny Surin 1992 Canadian Olympic Trials

Category iconCoaching,  Featured Story,  Track & Field,  Training Tag icon4x400,  Butch Reynolds,  relay,  speed

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. adarian says

    February 13, 2009 at 8:57 am

    I would venture to say that the stride length degrades because they spent less time on the ball of the foot during that portion of they race.

    Only time force can be applied is when the ball of the foot is in contact with the ground. The shorter amount of time during ground contact phase that the ball of the foot has means less force applied, less energy returned and a shorter stride length is the result.

    How do you stay on the ball of the foot longer during that portion of the race?
    Hand, elbow and arm movement and the timing of when to move what.

    Reply
  2. Jimson Lee says

    February 13, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    @adarian – yes, the hands and arms play an even more important role in the 400 meters when fatigue sets in.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]
  • Pressure in Sports – Reflections from Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy