Running Economy in Steep Uphill Locomotion: The Impact of Shoes with and without Embedded Carbon Fiber Plates

Presenter

Rakan Rafat Rihani

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Wouter Hoogkamer, Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A84, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 5 (A81-A100) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

This research explores the effects of Advanced Footwear Technology (AFT) shoes on running economy over various inclines, comparing AFT shoes against traditional racing shoes (flats). AFT shoes feature highly compliant, resilient foam and an embedded carbon fiber plate, yet remain lightweight despite having large stack heights. Known to enhance running economy on level ground by about 4%, AFT shoe benefits on uphill terrain are not well-documented, particularly not beyond slopes of 5 degrees. Adopting an ecological approach, we compared AFT shoes against traditional low stack, flexible racing flats at a consistent running intensity (not speed) across different inclines. We hypothesized that AFT advantages would lessen on steep inclines where metatarsophalangeal joint flexibility is paramount. Participants ran up slopes of 0, 10, 20 and 30 degrees at consistent intensities in AFT shoes and flats. We measured oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production, and calculated running economy as metabolic rate. The metabolic advantage of AFT shoes diminished as incline increased. Running economy was better in the AFT shoes by 1.3% for level running, by 1.1% at 10 degrees, and by 0.4% at 20 degrees, while the running economy was better in flats by 0.6% at 30 degrees. These findings align with our hypothesis and suggest that AFT shoes are the best option for the majority of trail and mountain running races where slopes rarely are steeper than 20 degrees.

Keywords

Running Economy, Uphill Locomotion, Shoe Technology, Performance

Research Area

Sports and Exercise Science + Physiology

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