According to a recent study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 93.7 percent of the 2,000 runners observed at the 2011 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon landed on their heels. Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin had set up a video camera at the 5-mile mark of the race and recorded the runners as they went past. The researchers found no difference in gender but they did find, however, that heel striking was less common closer to the front of the pack.
These findings are close to the figure found by Professor Peter Larson at the 2009 Manchester City Marathon. At that race, Larson classified 88.9 percent of the runners as heel strikers at the 10-kilometer mark. Larson also found that by the 19-mile mark, 96 percent of runners were heel striking as they tired and their running style and posture changed.