Runners Fatigue Earlier on a Treadmill versus Overground: Kinematic Evaluation of a Run to Exhaustion

Running biomechanics can be different between treadmill and overground, especially with fatigue during a run-to-exhaustion. The aim of this study was to investigate impact variables and kinematics of participants running an identical treadmill and overground fatigue protocol. Runners ran to exhaustion 9 minutes earlier on the treadmill compared to overground, with similar heart rate and rate of perceived exhaustion. Only peak sternal acceleration was significantly different between conditions, but only in the fatigue state. Environmental factors in a lab, such as air flow absence, may affect the aerobic capacity during running. No clear biomechanical differences suggest that a similar state of fatigue was reached, only getting there faster on the treadmill.