Browsing by Author "Henning, Robert"
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- ItemComparison of kinematic, and gait-spatio-temporal factors in ultra-trail runners with zero-drop versus regular-drop shoes(2023-03 ) Henning, Robert; De Waal, Simon Jake; Lamberts, Robert P.; Venter, Ranel; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medical Health Sciences. Dept. of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medication.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Few studies have explored zero-drop (ZD) shoes, with no studies investigating these shoes in trail- and ultra-trail running. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in relative oxygen uptake related and gait-spatiotemporal variables in a homogenous group of ultra-trail runners wearing ZD shoes versus those wearing regular-drop (RD) shoes. Twenty-nine recreational ultra-trail runners participated in this study: 15 habitually RD runners (age 36 ± 8.9 years; mass 70.48 ± 11.85 kg; height 174.14 ± 7.85 cm), and 14 habitually ZD runners (age 32 ± 9.31 years; mass 75.53 ± 32.99 kg; height 174.5 ± 8.23 cm). Participants ran a VO2 max protocol to determine maximal fitness, as well as to determine treadmill speed at VO2 max (vVO2 max). Thereafter, participants ran a protocol at 70% and 85% of their vVO2 max to determine relative oxygen uptake, gait spatio-temporal variables, ankle kinematics at ground contact and foot strike pattern. All physiological measures were determined by breath-by-breath analysis (COSMED, Rome, Italy), and gait-spatiotemporal measurements were done via the Optogait system (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy) and video interpretation (Kinovea, Belgium). ZD runners displayed a significantly greater VO2 max and VO2 at anaerobic threshold (AT) (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between ZD and RD runners for all the gait-spatiotemporal variables at both 70% and 85% vVO2 max. However, a large effect size for ankle angle was observed for both 70% (d=1.24) and 85% (d=1.11) speeds, indicating that ZD runners (86.54 ± 3.12o) were more dorsiflexed than RD runners (85.81 ± 4.15o) at ground contact. Furthermore, RD runners increased stride length significantly between 70% (202.46 ± 35.14 cm) and 85% (213.36 ± 41.83cm) vVO2 max, while ZD increased cadence significantly (96.83 ± 12.59 to 106.65 ± 20.88 steps.min). The first null hypothesis was rejected, as the VO2 max in the ZD group was significantly higher than the RD group. The second null hypothesis was accepted, as there were no significant differences between the ZD and RD groups for physiological fitness variables at both 70% and 85% vVO2 max. The third null hypothesis was partially rejected, as no significant difference in any of the gait-spatiotemporal variables between ZD and RD ultra-trail runners were observed, barring the distribution in foot strike pattern at 70% vVO2 max, where the ZD (n = 9) runners displayed a significantly higher distribution of MF/FF striking pattern compared to the RD (n = 1) runners. No studies have shown differences in physiological fitness and gait-spatiotemporal variables between ZD and RD ultra-trail runners. These results help runners understand how shoe drop-height affects relative oxygen uptake related variables to make informed choices in shoe selection, namely that runners wearing ZD shoes tend to strike the ground with a MF/FF pattern, as well as to expand the current body of literature regarding trail running. Further studies could investigate the effects of ZD shoes on physiological and gait-spatiotemporal variables in a much larger sample, which should provide a more accurate description of these effects.