The aim of this study was 1) to define a new index to describe running coordination, named % of coordination, and 2) to examine whether it could represent an order parameter in relation to running velocity. Twelve international middle-distance athletes (six males and six females) performed three trials at easy, 5000 m pace and sprint velocities while filmed from a lateral view at 240 Hz. Notational analysis of six lower-limb key events corresponding to touchdown, mid-stance and flight phases was performed with high values of intra- (maximum standard deviation = 7 ms) and inter-operator (maximum systematic bias = 6 ms) reliability. Running velocity manipulations resulted in substantial and progressive increases in stride length, stride frequency (all p`s < 0.001) and % of coordination (p < 0.001; n²p = 0.77), while duty factor showed a progressive reduction (p < 0.001, R^2c = 0.86). However, % of coordination depended on the stride phase (p < 0.001; n²p = 0.78), with greater time gaps between key events in touchdown and mid-stance than in the flight phase. Results confirmed that % of coordination can illustrate changes in movement organisation, representing an easy tool for evaluating the running technique of competitive athletes. Key Points - A new running coordination index to evaluate the patterns of running coordination was obtained from notational analysis of the running cycle. - % of coordination in the touchdown, mid-stance and flight phases increased according to increases in the running velocity. - A lower % of coordination was detected at touchdown and mid-stance compared to the flight phase.
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