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Does Advanced Footwear Technology Modulate Thermoregulation During Running in a Hot Environment?
Junto Otsuka1, Rikuto Yamakoshi, Shotaro Yokoyama
1Laboratory for Exercise and Environmental Physiology, Faculty of Education, Niigata University, Niigata, JAPAN.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|June 19, 2026
Summary
Advanced running shoes reduce the metabolic cost of running in heat. While this footwear lowers sweat production and increases dry heat loss, it does not significantly impact core body temperature.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Technology
- Human Performance
Background:
- Understanding thermoregulation during exercise is crucial for athletic performance and safety.
- Hot environments pose significant challenges to the human body's ability to dissipate heat.
- Footwear technology is evolving, with potential impacts on physiological responses during running.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of advanced footwear technology on thermoregulatory and metabolic responses in runners.
- To compare physiological responses between traditional running shoes and advanced footwear in a hot environment.
Main Methods:
- A randomized crossover design involving 14 trained male runners.
- Participants ran on a treadmill in a hot environment (30°C, 40% RH) wearing either traditional (CON) or advanced (SKY) running shoes.
- Measurements included running economy, oxygen consumption (V̇O₂), metabolic heat production (M), rectal temperature, skin temperature, sweat loss, and evaporative requirement for heat balance (Ereq).
Main Results:
- Advanced footwear (SKY) reduced V̇O₂ by 2.5% on average during prolonged running compared to traditional shoes (CON).
- While metabolic heat production and core body temperature remained unchanged, SKY footwear led to reduced evaporative requirement for heat balance (Ereq) and sweat loss.
- Mean skin temperature increased, and dry heat loss (radiation and convection) was enhanced with SKY footwear.
Conclusions:
- Advanced footwear technology can decrease the metabolic cost of running in hot conditions.
- This technology appears to reduce reliance on evaporative cooling (sweat) by increasing dry heat loss.
- The observed metabolic savings may not be substantial enough to alter core body temperature during prolonged exercise in the heat.
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