Effect of Sex-Specific Running Shoes on Female Recreational Runners

Abstract

Alterations in running shoe design have been studied and used in the prevention of injury and enhancement of performance allowing running shoe companies to market to a variety of runners based on skill level, foot-strike pattern, and even sex. These alterations have been shown to affect biomechanical and physiological variables associated with running. Some shoe companies have designed shoes specifically for biological female runners due to the morphological differences found between male and female feet. The purpose of this study is to determine if sex-specific running shoes can alter female runner biomechanics or physiology. Female runners were asked to run in the male and female models of the Altra Torin 4 Plush shoe to determine if there were differences in ground reaction forces (GRFs), sagittal plane joint angles and moments, oxygen consumption (VO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and perceived level of comfort while running; There were no significant differences in GRFs, sagittal joint angles and moments, VO2, RER, or perceived comfort; There were no differences in measured biomechanical or physiological variables between the female and male version of the shoes suggesting that the alterations made to the female-specific shoe do not provide any additional benefit to female recreational runners.

How can human factors close the gender data gap?

“…“Pink it and shrink it” is a term for an identified trend that markets products to females by making smaller and different colored versions of the male equivalent, without accounting for the needs and viewpoints of females (Van Tilburg et al, 2015). This has been common in sports equipment; however, a broader understanding of gender differences is now starting to be realized (e.g., Rasmussen et al, 2022). An understanding that women are not small men has started to feed into the military domain and the design of body armor (Evans et al, 2023).…”