In running, foot strike pattern matters immensely because it has a big effect on other areas of your stride in ways that can either make or literally break you. For instance, forefoot running improves the mechanical chain of events that accounts for sustainably easing strain off the IT Band. Case in point, forefoot running effectively prevents over-striding by improving knee angle at landing, which shortens stride length, while widening stance width. These are important assets in protecting the IT Band, and re-affirms that bad mechanics get phased out with forefoot running. Read more here about all the other injuries caused by heel strike running that forefoot running prevents.
