Footwear effects on running economy and stride characteristics in experienced runners

Several biomechanical variables have been linked to running economy, in addition to extrinsic factors such as footwear. Experienced runners performed treadmill running on separate days and in different footwear: minimal, neutral cushion, and highly cushioned. Running kinematics and running economy (RE) were recorded. No footwear effects were observed for RE, vertical oscillation and cadence. Therefore, lower limb kinematic adjustments at initial contact are likely to be behind the greater loading rates and impact forces previously reported in highly cushioned footwear. Data for more experienced runners will be collected in the coming months, in addition to inexperienced runners to understand if experience level influences the footwear effect on RE and related kinematics.