Why Our Feet Are Built for Running

Introduction: The Magic of Human Feet

I wanted to talk a little bit more about our feet. Recently, I’ve been doing a bit of a series on them, and I thought it would be useful to talk about just how amazing our feet are.

What Makes Human Feet Unique?

We – along with other apes, and to some extent monkeys – are the only animals with longer feet, and that’s because we’re bipedal, which means we walk on two legs.

If you compare our leg anatomy to the rear leg of a dog or other four-legged creature, you’ll notice that their knees sit quite high up – they almost look like they’re part of the body, not halfway down the leg. Their heel joint sits a third to halfway up the leg, so essentially, they’re standing on their tiptoes, both front and back.

In contrast, our heel is in contact with the ground, which means our ankle and foot structure – particularly our tendons and connective tissue – work very differently.

How Our Feet Help Us Run

Let’s start with how this affects running.

We have an arch in our foot, something four-legged animals don’t have. This arch helps with propulsion. It’s held together by tendons and ligaments, including the plantar fascia – a band of connective tissue running under the arch. You might have heard of it from plantar fasciitis, which is irritation of that tissue.

When we walk – and even more so when we run – the arch flattens slightly and then springs back, acting like a propulsion mechanism. As our body weight presses down, it flattens the arch, and as we push off, it rebounds and gives us that little “ping” of elastic energy that helps move us forward.

The Role of the Achilles Tendon

We also have the Achilles tendon at the back of our ankle. When we land, that tendon stretches and stores energy, like a massive elastic band. When the foot leaves the ground, that stored energy is released, propelling us forward.

That’s why running on soft surfaces like mud, sand or snow feels harder – instead of rebounding off the ground, that energy gets absorbed and lost into the surface.

Why Our Feet Are So Efficient

It’s a really clever system. Our feet are specially designed for two-legged movement, meaning a lot of our propulsion comes from our calves, ankles and arches.

In contrast, if you watch a dog run, you’ll see they generate power from higher up – their heels are lifted, their knees and hips sit further up, and their back legs kick out behind them in a straighter line. That’s where their propulsion comes from.

For us, the work happens more in the lower leg, which is why running puts more strain on the foot, ankle and calf compared to other activities like cycling, swimming or even walking. Those areas not only help us move forward, but also absorb the impact of every step.

Final Thoughts

So that’s a quick breakdown of how our feet are designed for running. I’ll go into more detail on the foot’s anatomy in the next video.

Hope that’s useful – happy running!