Effects of running shoe construction on performance in long distance running

Nigg, Benno M.; Čigoja, Saša; Nigg, Sandro

doi:10.1080/19424280.2020.1778799

Cited by 62 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Performance running shoe technology has recently become a polarizing topic, most notably due to advances in footwear technology, such as midsole energy return and longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) [1][2][3][4][5][6] . The Nike Vaporfly 4% (VF) shoe utilizes both these technologies to give athletes up to 4% savings in running economy compared to two popular high-end marathon racing shoes 1,[7][8][9] , which translates to improved running performance 10,11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Nike Vaporfly 4% (VF) shoe utilizes both these technologies to give athletes up to 4% savings in running economy compared to two popular high-end marathon racing shoes 1,[7][8][9] , which translates to improved running performance 10,11 . While scientists and bloggers debate whether the foam 1,12 , geometry 3 , or curved carbon-fiber plate 2,13 contribute more to these 'super shoes', the exact mechanisms resulting in 4% metabolic savings are not yet understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Longitudinal bending stiffness does not affect running economy in Nike Vaporfly shoes

Healey¹,

Hoogkamer²

2021

Preprint

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Objectives: To determine the independent effect of the curved carbon-fiber plate in the Nike Vaporfly 4% shoe on running economy and running biomechanics.Methods: Fifteen healthy male runners completed a metabolic protocol and a biomechanics protocol. In both protocols participants wore two different shoe conditions, an intact Nike Vaporfly 4% (VFintact), and a cut Nike Vaporfly 4% (VFcut). The VFcut had 6 medio-lateral cuts through the carbon-fiber plate in the forefoot to reduce the effectiveness of the plate. In the metabolic protocol participants ran at 14 km/h for 5-minutes, twice with each shoe, on a force-measuring treadmill while breathing into an expired gas system. In the biomechanics protocol participants ran across a runway with embedded force plates at 14 km/h. We calculated running economy, kinetics, and joint mechanics of the lower limb.Results: Running economy did not significantly differ between shoe conditions (0.5% higher in the VFcut compared to the VFintact). Biomechanical differences were only found in the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP) with increased MTP dorsiflexion angle, angular velocity, and negative power in the VFcut. Contact time was 1% longer in the VFcut.Conclusion: Cutting the carbon-fiber plate and reducing the longitudinal bending stiffness did not have a significant effect on the energy savings in the Nike Vaporfly 4%. This suggests that the plate alone plays a limited role in the 4% energy savings, and instead those likely result from a combination and interaction of the foam, geometry, and plate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal bending stiffness does not affect running economy in Nike Vaporfly shoes

Healey¹,

Hoogkamer²

2021

Preprint

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“…One possible characteristic would be the curved design of the carbon fibre plate. Nigg et al 14 suggested that a curved carbon fibre plate could act as a ’teeter-totter’, where a reaction force is created at the heel as the runner’s force is applied at the forefoot and the centre of pressure moves anteriorly, passed the pivot point of the plate. This ’teeter-totter’ mechanism was speculated to be one of the main contributors of improved E run when running in the Vaporfly shoes and could account for some of the outstanding 2% in metabolic savings of the current study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the underlaying mechanisms of improved performance when running in footwear with increased MBS are not well understood, multiple effects were proposed: (1) minimising energy loss at the MTP joint 7 , (2) storing and returning elastic energy to the athlete 12 , 13 , (3) the ‘teeter-totter’ effect 14 , 15 , and (4) optimising the force–velocity profile of the ankle plantarflexor muscles 16 – 18 . In brief, the principle of minimising energy loss suggests that athletic improvements can be achieved by reducing the energy absorbed at joints due to less eccentric work performed by muscles crossing these joints.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the midsole bending stiffness of shoes alters gastrocnemius medialis muscle function during running

Čigoja

Fletcher

Esposito

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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In recent years, increasing the midsole bending stiffness (MBS) of running shoes by embedding carbon fibre plates in the midsole resulted in many world records set during long-distance running competitions. Although several theories were introduced to unravel the mechanisms behind these performance benefits, no definitive explanation was provided so far. This study aimed to investigate how the function of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle and Achilles tendon is altered when running in shoes with increased MBS. Here, we provide the first direct evidence that the amount and velocity of GM muscle fascicle shortening is reduced when running with increased MBS. Compared to control, running in the stiffest condition at 90% of speed at lactate threshold resulted in less muscle fascicle shortening (p = 0.006, d = 0.87), slower average shortening velocity (p = 0.002, d = 0.93) and greater estimated Achilles tendon energy return (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.96), without a significant change in GM fascicle work (p = 0.335, d = 0.40) or GM energy cost (p = 0.569, d = 0.30). The findings of this study suggest that running in stiff shoes allows the ankle plantarflexor muscle–tendon unit to continue to operate on a more favourable position of the muscle’s force–length–velocity relationship by lowering muscle shortening velocity and increasing tendon energy return.

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“…As shown in Tables 1 , 2 , the year 2017 was a turning point in the road running industry with the first release by a shoe manufacturer of a model of distance running shoe that benefited from an AFT incorporating both an increased thickness of a new midsole light foam and a rigid plate along the shoe (Nigg et al, 2020a ). The present study is a retrospective observational study from which a possible causality link between the availability of this AFT and distance running performances in top 20 seasonal best times can be derived.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Advanced Shoe Technology on the Evolution of Road Race Times in Male and Female Elite Runners

Bermon

Garrandes

Szabó³

et al. 2021

Front. Sports Act. Living

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The influence of advanced footwear technology (thickness of light midsole foam and rigid plate) on distance running performances was analyzed during an 8-year period. Analysis of variance was used to measure effects of time, gender, shoe technology, and East African origin on male and female top 20 or top 100 seasonal best times in 10-kilometer races, half-marathons, and marathons. In both genders and three distance-running events, seasonal best times significantly decreased from 2017, which coincided with the introduction of the advanced footwear technology in distance running. This performance improvement was of similar magnitude in both East African and non-East African elite runners. In female elite athletes, the magnitudes (from 1.7 to 2.3%) of the decrease in seasonal best times between 2016 and 2019 were significantly higher than in their male counterparts (from 0.6 to 1.5%). Analyses of variance confirmed that the adoption of the advanced footwear technology significantly improved the top 20 seasonal best times in female half marathons and marathons and male marathons, with the improvements being more pronounced in females and in long-distance running events. The adoption of this new shoe technology improved female marathon time by ~2 min and 10 s, which represents a significant increase in performance (1.7%).

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Effects of running shoe construction on performance in long distance running

Cited by 62 publications

References 19 publications

Longitudinal bending stiffness does not affect running economy in Nike Vaporfly shoes

Longitudinal bending stiffness does not affect running economy in Nike Vaporfly shoes

Increasing the midsole bending stiffness of shoes alters gastrocnemius medialis muscle function during running

Effect of Advanced Shoe Technology on the Evolution of Road Race Times in Male and Female Elite Runners

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