Pre-pubertal runners demonstrate greater variability in running kinematics than post-pubertal runners.

Background: Adolescents undergo a period of motor incoordination during puberty characterized by high movement variability. It is unknown if differences in running kinematics variability exist among adolescent long-distance runners.

Research Question: Is kinematic variability different among male and female adolescent long-distance runners of different stages of physical maturation?

Methods: We enrolled 114 adolescent long-distance runners (ages 8-19, F = 55, M = 59) in this secondary analysis of a larger cross-sectional study.