How do tendons reduce the energy cost of running in mammals?

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Least tern, Sternula antillarum, flying with wings raised and its yellow-tipped black bill pointed forward. — Locomotion These birds largely reside in coastal areas of North America, although some populations live in the continent's interior along large rivers.

In mammals, tendons function as biological springs that significantly reduce the metabolic energy cost of running. When a mammal's foot strikes the ground, the body decelerates, and the energy associated with this impact is captured and stored as elastic strain energy within the tendons. As the animal continues its stride, this stored energy is returned through elastic recoil, assisting in movement and reducing the amount of work required by the muscles.1