Influence of spiked shoes with soft and bouncy midsole material on sprint performance

Abstract

The selection of spiked shoes can greatly affect sprint performance. In order to enhance propulsion during running, AFT (Advanced Footwear Technology) has been developed in recent years. Some sports manufacturers have been also developing spiked shoes with soft and bouncy(resilient) thick midsole materials, following the change of marathon shoes from thin-soled to thick-soled with a reinforced plate. It has been reported that the use of certain thick sole shoes results in improved running economy in long distance due, in part, to differences in running mechanics (Hunter et al., 2019). On the other hand, the influence of spiked shoes with soft and bouncy midsole materials on sprint performance has not been clarified.