Researchers from Adelaide University fitted distance runners with inertial sensors in a study that will help runners better their personal bests by monitoring fatigue more effectively.
Distance running has grown in popularity as a recreational activity through organised groups like run clubs, and while the sport typically involves a level of fatigue, those with greater fatigue resistance are likely to deliver a greater performance.
For runners, understanding and monitoring fatigue through physiological and biomechanical factors can be complex.
Sensors were attached to the lower back, chest, calves, thighs and feet of six competitive runners who ran on average more than 50km per week.
The runners took to treadmills and completed a 2km time trial and high-intensity running intervals, before completing a second 2km time trial to confirm the presence of fatigue.
The researchers combined the data from the sensors with computational models of the human musculoskeletal system to assess the impact of fatigue on the runners.
Lead author Grace McConnochie, from Adelaide University’s School of Medicine, said running-related fatigue is complex and varies widely between individuals and conditions.
“While it clearly affects performance and physiological capacity, clear biomechanical patterns are not consistently observed across runners, intensities, or environments,” said Grace.
“We found there were minimal changes in biomechanics when the runners were fatigued, but greater differences emerged in the torso and pelvis.”
“This shows fatigue doesn’t just impact your legs, it can show up further up the chain. Core stability may therefore have important implications for running economy and performance.”
Measuring running-related fatigue has often relied on isolated, non-standardised outcome measures which can vary in their responses.
“Full-body wearable assessments and the integration of biomechanical and physiological measures have been sparse, limiting a holistic whole-body understanding of running mechanics under fatigue,” Grace said.
“But in our research, we combine wearable sensors with computational models of the human musculoskeletal system and optimal control simulations to examine fatigue at the level of the underlying movement system and link this with physiological assessment.
“We saw that meaningful performance and energy changes can occur with subtle adjustments in running mechanics and that these changes can differ between individuals.”
Grace said the research, which was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, could change the way running fatigue was assessed and countered.
“This approach provides an individualised way to assess fatigue and addresses the variability and interpretability limitations of prior wearable-based studies,” she said.
“The personalised, simulation-based methodology assesses fatigue at the level of musculoskeletal function, providing meaningful biomechanical insights that might not be captured by traditional measures.
“This opens the door to more precise and insightful analysis of fatigue under realistic running conditions.”