THE ADVANTAGES OF TRAIL RUNNING POLES

You could fill entire libraries with books on scientific research into running shoes. Running with poles, on the other hand, is still a largely unexplored area. We take a look at the current state of science. Find out how trail running poles can help you save energy, maintain your pace and become more efficient.

INTRODUCTION

The status quo: No trail runner in the field of top finishers can complete a race like the UTMB without poles. For both world-class and amateur athletes, it goes without saying that poles should be used for longer races with large differences in altitude. So what exactly do the poles do? In order to scientifically understand the exact effects of poles in trail running, you have to look at it from two perspectives. Firstly, from a biomechanical perspective. This raises the question of how the movement of the body and in particular muscle activity changes. Secondly, the metabolic perspective. How do the chemical processes in our body, the oxygen uptake and, above all, the heart rate behave?

BIOMECHANICS

Basically, it is clear that the use of poles relieves the legs and shifts some of the strain to the upper body. The whole thing costs oxygen (explained later). The general opinion that poles are easy on the legs definitely has a scientific background. Research shows that the stride length increases through the use of poles, which in turn leads to a higher speed (Willson et al. [1]). At the same time, ground reaction and joint strength decrease. Basically, the aim is to put less strain on the lower limbs so that longer distances can be covered. The lower body parts have to do most of the work when running. Therefore, every percent of load that can be distributed to the arms, shoulders and core prevents the legs from tiring after countless kilometers and hours of running.

METABOLISM

In summary, most scientific results show a significant increase in oxygen demand, heart rate and energy consumption when using poles. Some studies indicate a significantly lower perception of intensity on steeper climbs and downhills. In addition, less muscle pain and faster recovery as well as an increase in running speed with poles have been observed. Basically, it can be said that if the legs are spared more, this is compensated by more intensive cardiovascular work. This also explains why poles are less effective on shorter distances: For most runners, the bottleneck is cardiovascular performance. For ultra runs with large differences in altitude, poles are therefore a decisive factor.

CONCLUSION

The general advantages of poles are obvious. However, many questions remain unanswered, from the perfect length to researching the most efficient technique depending on the route and the degree of physical exhaustion. We are committed to advancing this research and gaining new insights. One exciting finding that we have noticed recently is that more and more LEKI athletes are choosing longer poles over time. This is because their technique improves over time and they learn how to use maximum leverage to enhance their performance.

Supported by the Chair of Biomechanics at the University of Bayreuth.