Speed Marching in Military Boots: The Walk-To-Run Transition Speed and Vertical Ground Reaction Forces

Abstract

Background: Speed marching is the term for moving on foot, in which service members alternate marching and running to cover a certain distance in limited time. The standard load for speed marching is 25 kilograms, this includes a backpack, a tactical vest and rifle. When increasing walking speed, a person will switch from walking to running at a certain speed, this is called walk-to-run transition. The walkto-run transition speed for marching in military boots, with or without a rifle, is unknown. Marching and running are the source of many overuse injuries, the accumulation of impact forces plays a causal role. Research into alleviating the impact forces of military tasks, such as speed marching, is desirable.