One of the most safest parts of your foot to land on when running is the forefoot, not the heel. More specifically, a proper forefoot strike when running involves making initial ground-contact under the 5th and 4th toes, NOT the first toe. It turns out that making initial ground-contact towards the most outer-side of the forefoot during running secures better balance control at the ankle and greatly reduces bending strain and peak pressures on the foot. Read more here about the additional advantages and mechanical relevance of making initial ground-contact under the 5th toe in forefoot running.
Bretta Riches
"I believe the forefoot strike is the engine of endurance running..."
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.