Does Advanced Footwear Technology Modulate Thermoregulation During Running in a Hot Environment?
Junto Otsuka, Rikuto Yamakoshi, Shotaro Yokoyama, Hanano Kato, Tatsuro AmanoPurpose:
The present study investigated whether advanced footwear technology alters thermoregulatory and metabolic responses during running in a hot environment.
Methods:
In a randomized crossover design, 14 trained male runners (V̇O 2peak : 55.0 ± 3.7 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) performed treadmill running while wearing traditional running shoes (Hyper Speed 3; CON) or advanced footwear (Metaspeed Sky Paris; SKY) in a hot environment (30°C, 40% RH). On each experimental trial, participants firstly completed two 5-min running economy tests at 12 km·h⁻¹: the first in CON (RE1) and the second in the assigned shoes (CON or SKY; RE2). While continuing to wear the RE2 shoes, participants then performed two 30-min runs at 60% and 80% V̇O 2peak , during which metabolic and thermoregulatory variables were continuously measured.
Results:
V̇O₂ was reduced in SKY compared with CON by 3.4 ± 3.1% during the 5-min test and by 2.5 ± 4.2% on average during the prolonged trials (both
Conclusions:
Advanced footwear technology reduces metabolic cost and attenuates E req and sweat production while increasing skin temperature and reliance on dry heat dissipation during running in hot conditions. The magnitude of metabolic savings was likely insufficient to influence M or core body temperature.