Table 1. Initial definitions of running levels.
| Level 1 Novice |
Level 2 Recreational |
Level 3 High-caliber |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Running experience | Less than six months of regular* running experience | More than six months of regular* running experience | More than three years of regular* running experience |
| Running habits | 0–3 sessions / week | 1–5 sessions / week | > 3 sessions / week |
| 5–20 km / week | 15–50 km / week | > 30 km / week | |
| Running performance (times are for male runners) | 5km time > 30 min OR | 5km time > 20 min OR | 5 km time 15–20 min$ OR |
| 10km time > 60 min | 10km time > 45 min OR | 10 km time 30–45 min$ OR | |
| No marathon racing | Marathon time 3–4.5 h | Marathon time <3h$ | |
| Running motivation (ordered according to importance) | Improve general health | Improve general health | Improve general health |
| Stress management | Stress management | Stress management | |
| Weight management | Team affiliation | Competition | |
| Priorities for footwear design (from high to low) | 1) Improve comfort | 1) Improve comfort | 1) Improve performance |
| 2) Reduce injury risk | 2) Reduce injury risk | 2) Improve comfort | |
| 3) Improve performance | 3) Improve performance | 3) Reduce injury risk |
The (*) indicates regular running experience defined as running at least once per week. The ($) indicates that elite runners with faster race times than high caliber runners were not considered since they represent a small percentage of the population and may require individual running footwear recommendations.