The Monday Shakeout: A Placebo Effect in Super Shoes For Recreational Runners?
By Matthew Klein
This week Matt does a brief research article review on the potential belief impact of super shoes on performance. While the effects of super shoes are still hotly debated, there has been some consideration that some effects may extend beyond simple biomechanics. Follow along as Matt takes on a journey of how his brain analyzes current literature.
Super foams, plates, max stack heights and super shoes are all the rage at this time. Even major new outlets are posting articles about how "super shoes can make you faster." We at Doctors of Running have been discussing this for some time and our answer to the impacts of super shoes, as usual, is it depends. Each person is different and will respond differently to these mechanisms. We know that different people respond differently to different amounts of stiffness created by plates or other stiffening agents (Mcleod et al., 2020). We know that recreational vs elite runners have different responses to super shoes (Joubert & Jones, 2022). And despite research suggesting economy improvements in runners using these super shoes, if you look at the variation in responses, it is clear that some people benefit more than others (Hoogkamer et al., 2018).
Most of the research we have discussed thus far has focused on the human physiological or biomechanical responses to these new shoes and technology, often labeled as "Advanced Footwear Technology" (AFT) by the research world. However, it has become abundantly clear both in my clinical practice and research progression that the mind, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions play a massive role in how we perform, act, and respond. That is why a research article by Dr. Kim Hebert-Losier, a research and PT inspiration of mine, published last month (February 2025), caught my attention. Dr. Hebert-Losier has published extensively on the calf, foot and ankle, running and footwear over the years. She has written and published several articles on AFTs, so her recent publication, "Are super shoes a super placebo? A randomised crossover trial in female recreational runners" is worth reading.
Summary of the Research
Twenty-four (actually twenty six) female recreational runners were recruited to undergo perceptual, biomechanical and physiological testing between two shoes. Both shoes were the Nike Vaporfly Next% 2, but one was spray painted black and presented as a "knock off" version of the non-painted shoe. A 10 minute warm up in the runners own shoes were performed, followed by a familiarization protocol for the perception testing, then two six minute running economy trials were performed at 10 km / h (9:39 min / mile pace) followed by perception testing that included the RUN-CAT scale we frequently talk about.
The results suggested there were no differences in biomechanical factors (ground contact time, flight time, step length, cadence, etc) or physiological factors. However, the perception of the shoes was quite different, with the unpainted super shoe being perceived as more comfortable, made running easier/more efficient, might improve their performance and lower their injury risk compared to the sprain painted version. The subjects also reported the cushioning, both at the heel and forefoot, and stability/support was too much in the unpainted version compared to the painted version. Per the article, the subjects had never run in super shoes prior to the study.
What Does This All Mean?
This is one of the first studies to look at the perceptual impacts of AFT. The lack of biomechanical and physiological differences is not surprising and both have been shown to be different in AFT shoes compared to traditional shoes (Hoogkamer et al,. 2018, Hebert-Losier et al., 2022). The special foam, plate and geometry combinations do certainly change things. However, the impact of perception is extremely interesting. This is the first time in history that recreational runners have purchased racing shoes at this level. Prior to super shoes, the minimal racing flats were extremely aggressive and only sold in small amounts to mostly elite or serious runners. The amount of cushioning provided by AFTs has made this shoe type more accessible for the first time in history of running shoes. However, this shoe type was designed specifically with faster/elite runners in mind. We have talked about the fact that recreational runners may get less benefit from super shoes compared to elites (Joubert & Jones, 2022). This is why we also often discourage the use by new or recreational athletes as there are inherent risks to using shoes this aggressive, although the research is behind on exactly what injury risks are actually present. However, the perceptions by the recreational runners are exactly the opposite of our thoughts, that these shoes might even protect them from injury. With the addition of advertised performance improvement by companies and demonstrated by elite athletes, it is no wonder that recreational athletes are purchasing them in such great numbers.
However, there are a few challenges here. Just because something is perceived to be a certain way acutely (during a 6-minute trial), does not mean it will continue to be so over more wear and over longer efforts. How a shoe feels during the first few minutes of a run or race can be way different than way it feels like at mile 10 or 20. Additionally, it would have been nice to see the study perform economy testing at faster efforts. While 10km / h is understandable for many recreational athletes, these shoes only show significant economy differences at harder/faster efforts. This also limits the results only to recreational runners as faster or more elite runners may have different results given the higher speed and performance factors. Regardless, it is interesting to have some early evidence on the perceptual impacts super shoes have on recreational runners. While there are other impacts, it is important to understand that people also believe these shoes are better. How this affects performance at higher speeds, efforts and within the elite is unknown but we may have more information on this soon!
Reference
Hébert-Losier, K., Finlayson, S. J., Lamb, P. F., Driller, M. W., HanzlÃková, I., Dubois, B., ... & Beaven, C. M. (2022). Kinematics of recreational male runners in “super”, minimalist and habitual shoes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(13), 1426-1435.
Hébert-Losier, K., Pfister, A., Finlayson, S. J., Esculier, J. F., Lamb, P., & Beaven, C. M. (2025). Are super shoes a super placebo? A randomised crossover trial in female recreational runners. Footwear Science, 1-10.
Hoogkamer, W., Kipp, S., Frank, J. H., Farina, E. M., Luo, G., & Kram, R. (2018). A comparison of the energetic cost of running in marathon racing shoes. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 1009-1019.
Joubert, D. P., & Jones, G. P. (2022). A comparison of running economy across seven highly cushioned racing shoes with carbon-fibre plates. Footwear Science, 14(2), 71-83.
McLeod, A. R., Bruening, D., Johnson, A. W., Ward, J., & Hunter, I. (2020). Improving running economy through altered shoe bending stiffness across speeds. Footwear Science, 12(2), 79-89.
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