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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

Running style and stability during uphill running are largely preserved with increasing shoe sole thickness

  • Cagla Kettner1
  • Bernd J. Stetter2
  • Thorsten Stein
  1. 1BioMotion Center, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
  2. 2Sports Orthopedics, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
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Abstract

Advanced footwear technology (AFT) shoes incorporate increased sole thickness and compliant midsole materials that may alter running biomechanics. While these effects have been widely studied during level running, little is known about how sole thickness influences running style and stability during uphill running. This study examined the effects of two AFT shoes differing in sole thickness (35 mm-AFT35; 50 mm-AFT50) and a traditional control shoe (27 mm-CON27) on running style and stability during uphill running. Seventeen experienced male runners performed treadmill running at a 10% incline at 6.5 and 10 km/h in three shoe conditions. Running style was assessed using duty factor, normalized step frequency, center-of-mass oscillation, vertical and leg stiffness, and lower-limb joint kinematics. Running stability was evaluated using local dynamic stability via the maximum Lyapunov exponent and detrended fluctuation analysis of stride time. Duty factor and normalized step frequency did not differ between shoes. However, AFT shoes showed greater center-of-mass oscillation (p = 0.004), and lower vertical stiffness (p = 0.022) compared to CON27. Joint kinematics revealed significant shoe effects at the ankle (p = 0.001), particularly increased dorsiflexion and eversion in AFT conditions. Running stability showed only minor changes. Local dynamic stability differed at the trunk (p = 0.027), with reduced stability in AFT50 compared with CON27 (p = 0.006), while global stability remained unchanged. No shoe × speed interactions were observed for any variable. Overall, uphill running style and stability remained largely preserved across shoe conditions, suggesting that sole thickness alone had limited influence.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kettner2026running,
  title = {{Running style and stability during uphill running are largely preserved with increasing shoe sole thickness}},
  author = {Cagla Kettner and Bernd J. Stetter and Thorsten Stein},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0348380},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0348380},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Running style and stability during uphill running are largely preserved with increasing shoe sole thickness
AU  - Cagla Kettner
AU  - Bernd J. Stetter
AU  - Thorsten Stein
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0348380
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0348380
AB  - Advanced footwear technology (AFT) shoes incorporate increased sole thickness and compliant midsole materials that may alter running biomechanics. While these effects have been widely studied during level running, little is known about how sole thickness influences running style and stability during uphill running. This study examined the effects of two AFT shoes differing in sole thickness (35 mm-AFT35; 50 mm-AFT50) and a traditional control shoe (27 mm-CON27) on running style and stability during uphill running. Seventeen experienced male runners performed treadmill running at a 10% incline at 6.5 and 10 km/h in three shoe conditions. Running style was assessed using duty factor, normalized step frequency, center-of-mass oscillation, vertical and leg stiffness, and lower-limb joint kinematics. Running stability was evaluated using local dynamic stability via the maximum Lyapunov exponent and detrended fluctuation analysis of stride time. Duty factor and normalized step frequency did not differ between shoes. However, AFT shoes showed greater center-of-mass oscillation (p = 0.004), and lower vertical stiffness (p = 0.022) compared to CON27. Joint kinematics revealed significant shoe effects at the ankle (p = 0.001), particularly increased dorsiflexion and eversion in AFT conditions. Running stability showed only minor changes. Local dynamic stability differed at the trunk (p = 0.027), with reduced stability in AFT50 compared with CON27 (p = 0.006), while global stability remained unchanged. No shoe × speed interactions were observed for any variable. Overall, uphill running style and stability remained largely preserved across shoe conditions, suggesting that sole thickness alone had limited influence.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -