Hébert-Losier, KimPamment, Milly2025-10-162025-10-162022Hébert-Losier, K., & Pamment, M. (2022). Advancements in running shoe technology and their effects on running economy and performance – a current concepts overview. Sports Biomechanics, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2022.21105121476-3141https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17719Advancements in running shoe technology over the last 5 years have sparked controversy in athletics as linked with clear running economy and performance enhancements. Early debates mainly surrounded ‘super shoes’ in long-distance running, but more recently, the controversy has filtered through to sprint and middle-distance running with the emergence of ‘super spikes’. This Current Concepts paper provides a brief overview on the controversial topic of super shoes and super spikes. The defining features of technologically advanced shoes are a stiff plate embedded within the midsole, curved plate and midsole geometry, and lightweight, resilient, high-energy returning foam that–in combination–enhance running performance. Since the launch of the first commercially available super shoe, all world records from the 5 km to the marathon have been broken by athletes wearing super shoes or super spikes, with a similar trend observed in middle-distance running. The improvements in super shoes are around 4% for running economy and 2% for performance, and speculatively around 1% to 1.5% for super spikes. These enhancements are believed multifactorial in nature and difficult to parse, although involve longitudinal bending stiffness, the ‘teeter-totter effect’, the high-energy return properties of the midsole material, enhanced stack height and lightweight characteristic of shoes.enThis is an author's accepted version of an article published in Sports Biomechanics. ©2022 Taylor & FrancisAthleticsendurancefootwearreviewsprintJournal Article10.1080/14763141.2022.21105121752-611642 Health Sciences4207 Sports Science and Exercise3202 Clinical sciences4207 Sports science and exercise