Establishment of Reference Values for Selected Spatiotemporal and Kinematic Running Parameters in Healthy Adult Recreational Runners from Barranquilla, Colombia

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Running-related musculoskeletal injuries remain highly prevalent among recreational runners, and the absence of population-specific biomechanical reference values limits clinical and sports interpretation in Latin American populations. This study aimed to establish reference values for spatiotemporal and selected running kinematic/mechanical values (initial contact angle, vertical leg stiffness, and vertical oscillation) in healthy adult recreational runners from Barranquilla (Colombia) using three-dimensional motion capture. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 25 healthy adults (13 men, 12 women; mean age 32.7 ± 7.4 years, range 20–47 years). Running biomechanics were assessed using a BTS SMART-DX three-dimensional motion capture system and a Modified Helen Hayes marker model with 30 reflective markers. Participants completed treadmill running trials at 7, 9, 11, and 13 km/h. Key spatiotemporal parameters and global kinematic/mechanical metrics were processed using BTS Smart Clinic software. Reference values were defined using the 10th and 90th percentiles, stratified by sex and running speed, and accompanied by bootstrap 95% confidence intervals. Effects of sex and speed were tested by two-way ANOVA with partial eta squared and Holm-adjusted p values, with a linear mixed-effects model as a robustness check. Results: Motorized treadmill-specific biomechanical reference values (10th and 90th percentiles) were established and stratified strictly by running speed (7, 9, 11, and 13 km/h) and sex. Under the primary linear mixed-effects model, running speed significantly affected all ten evaluated biomechanical variables (all adjusted p < 0.001), including initial contact angle and vertical oscillation, confirming that speed-disaggregated estimates are mandatory for clinical interpretation. Conversely, sex effects were robust to multiplicity adjustment only for flight time and vertical leg stiffness. Compared with a European reference cohort, and after adjustment for sex, age, stature, body mass and speed through the published reference equations, this cohort showed a 6.6% shorter flight time, a 19.0% lower vertical oscillation, a 3.8% shorter stride length, and a 3.1% higher cadence. Conclusions: This study provides the preliminary regional reference database for running spatiotemporal and selected kinematic parameters in a cohort of healthy adult recreational runners from Barranquilla (Colombia). These preliminary values provide a baseline restricted to motorized treadmill running at fixed speeds; while they support standardized treadmill screening and rehabilitation tracking, their direct applicability to overground or self-paced running remains limited and warrants caution.