Variability in running economy of Kenyan world-class and European amateur male runners with advanced footwear running technology: experimental and meta-analysis results

Knopp, Melanie ; Muñiz-Pardos, Borja (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Wackerhage, Henning ; Schönfelder, Martin ; Guppy, Fergus ; Pitsiladis, Yannis ; Ruiz, Daniel

Resumen: Background
Advanced footwear technology improves average running economy compared with racing flats in sub-elite athletes. However, not all athletes benefit as performance changes vary from a 10% drawback to a 14% improvement. The main beneficiaries from such technologies, world-class athletes, have only been analyzed using race times.
Objective
The aim of this study was to measure running economy on a laboratory treadmill in advanced footwear technology compared to a traditional racing flat in world-class Kenyan (mean half-marathon time: 59:30 min:s) versus European amateur runners.
Methods
Seven world-class Kenyan and seven amateur European male runners completed a maximal oxygen uptake assessment and submaximal steady-state running economy trials in three different models of advanced footwear technology and a racing flat. To confirm our results and better understand the overall effect of new technology in running shoes, we conducted a systematic search and meta-analysis.
Results
Laboratory results revealed large variability in both world-class Kenyan road runners, which ranged from a 11.3% drawback to a 11.4% benefit, and amateur Europeans, which ranged from a 9.7% benefit to a 1.1% drawback in running economy of advanced footwear technology compared to a flat. The post-hoc meta-analysis revealed an overall significant medium benefit of advanced footwear technology on running economy compared with traditional flats.
Conclusions
Variability of advanced footwear technology performance appears in both world-class and amateur runners, suggesting further testing should examine such variability to ensure validity of results and explain the cause as a more personalized approach to shoe selection might be necessary for optimal benefit.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1007/s40279-023-01816-1

Año: 2023

Publicado en: SPORTS MEDICINE 53, 6 (2023), 1255-1271
ISSN: 0112-1642

Factor impacto JCR: 9.3 (2023)

Categ. JCR: SPORT SCIENCES rank: 3 / 127 = 0.024 (2023) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 3.492 - Medicine (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Sports Science (Q1) - Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation (Q1) - Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (Q1)

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Educación Física y Depor. (Dpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería)