doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01816-1engKnopp, MelanieMuñiz-Pardos, BorjaWackerhage, HenningSchönfelder, MartinGuppy, FergusPitsiladis, YannisRuiz, DanielVariability in running economy of Kenyan world-class and European amateur male runners with advanced footwear running technology: experimental and meta-analysis resultsART-2023-133178Background 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.2023http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/12575310.1007/s40279-023-01816-1http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/125753oai:zaguan.unizar.es:125753SPORTS MEDICINE 53, 6 (2023), 1255-1271byhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess