One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces
Carbon plate running shoes (CPRSs) have gained widespread popularity among elite and amateur runners, representing one of the most substantial changes in running gear over the past decade. Compared to elite runners, however, amateurs run at lower speeds and show more diverse running styles. This is...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Marlene Riedl Carlo von Diecken Olaf Ueberschär |
| author_facet | Marlene Riedl Carlo von Diecken Olaf Ueberschär |
| author_sort | Marlene Riedl |
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| description | Carbon plate running shoes (CPRSs) have gained widespread popularity among elite and amateur runners, representing one of the most substantial changes in running gear over the past decade. Compared to elite runners, however, amateurs run at lower speeds and show more diverse running styles. This is a meaningful difference as many previous studies on CPRSs focus either on highly trained male runners and higher speeds or only on a single CPRSs manufacturer. The present study aims at bridging this gap by investigating how CPRSs from four different manufacturers affect running economy in amateurs of both sexes at their individual running speeds. For this purpose, 21 trained amateur triathletes (12 men; 9 women) completed an incremental treadmill test until volitional exhaustion, yielding running speeds at ventilatory thresholds 1 (<i>v</i><sub>VT1</sub>) and 2 (<i>v</i><sub>VT2</sub>). In a second session, subjects ran five trials of 3 × 3 min (speeds of 90% <i>v</i><sub>VT1</sub>, ½ (<i>v</i><sub>VT1</sub> + <i>v</i><sub>VT2</sub>), and 100% <i>v</i><sub>VT2</sub>), wearing one out of four different pairs of CPRSs or their own preferred non-CPRS shoes in each trial. Our results show that tested CPRS models resulted in a significant reduction in the mean energy cost of transport, compared to the non-CPRS control condition, with Cohen’s d amounting to −1.52 (<i>p</i> = 0.016), 2.31 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), 2.57 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and 2.80 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), respectively, although effect sizes varied substantially between subjects and running speeds. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that amateur athletes may benefit from various manufacturers’ CPRS models at their typical running speeds to a similar degree as highly trained runners. It is recommended that amateur athletes evaluate a range of CPRSs and select the shoe that elicits the least subjective sensation of fatigue over a testing distance of at least 400–1000 m. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-46f52bdaa6574d419e30fe47488fd9c6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-46f52bdaa6574d419e30fe47488fd9c62024-12-27T14:07:35ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-12-0114241153510.3390/app142411535One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race PacesMarlene Riedl0Carlo von Diecken1Olaf Ueberschär2Department of Engineering and Industrial Design, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, 39114 Magdeburg, GermanyInstitute for Advanced Biomechanics and Motion Studies, Offenburg University, 77652 Offenburg, GermanyDepartment of Engineering and Industrial Design, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, 39114 Magdeburg, GermanyCarbon plate running shoes (CPRSs) have gained widespread popularity among elite and amateur runners, representing one of the most substantial changes in running gear over the past decade. Compared to elite runners, however, amateurs run at lower speeds and show more diverse running styles. This is a meaningful difference as many previous studies on CPRSs focus either on highly trained male runners and higher speeds or only on a single CPRSs manufacturer. The present study aims at bridging this gap by investigating how CPRSs from four different manufacturers affect running economy in amateurs of both sexes at their individual running speeds. For this purpose, 21 trained amateur triathletes (12 men; 9 women) completed an incremental treadmill test until volitional exhaustion, yielding running speeds at ventilatory thresholds 1 (<i>v</i><sub>VT1</sub>) and 2 (<i>v</i><sub>VT2</sub>). In a second session, subjects ran five trials of 3 × 3 min (speeds of 90% <i>v</i><sub>VT1</sub>, ½ (<i>v</i><sub>VT1</sub> + <i>v</i><sub>VT2</sub>), and 100% <i>v</i><sub>VT2</sub>), wearing one out of four different pairs of CPRSs or their own preferred non-CPRS shoes in each trial. Our results show that tested CPRS models resulted in a significant reduction in the mean energy cost of transport, compared to the non-CPRS control condition, with Cohen’s d amounting to −1.52 (<i>p</i> = 0.016), 2.31 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), 2.57 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and 2.80 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), respectively, although effect sizes varied substantially between subjects and running speeds. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that amateur athletes may benefit from various manufacturers’ CPRS models at their typical running speeds to a similar degree as highly trained runners. It is recommended that amateur athletes evaluate a range of CPRSs and select the shoe that elicits the least subjective sensation of fatigue over a testing distance of at least 400–1000 m.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11535energy cost of runningcarbon-fiber racing shoesadvanced footwear technologyspirometrybiomechanics |
| spellingShingle | Marlene Riedl Carlo von Diecken Olaf Ueberschär One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces Applied Sciences energy cost of running carbon-fiber racing shoes advanced footwear technology spirometry biomechanics |
| title | One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces |
| title_full | One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces |
| title_fullStr | One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces |
| title_full_unstemmed | One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces |
| title_short | One Shoe to Fit Them All? Effect of Various Carbon Plate Running Shoes on Running Economy in Male and Female Amateur Triathletes and Runners at Individual Training and Race Paces |
| title_sort | one shoe to fit them all effect of various carbon plate running shoes on running economy in male and female amateur triathletes and runners at individual training and race paces |
| topic | energy cost of running carbon-fiber racing shoes advanced footwear technology spirometry biomechanics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11535 |
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