Do Super Shoes Still Benefit Running Economy on Hills? (Saucony Endorphin Pro)

Most all of the research on the benefits of super shoes on running economy have been on a level surface. Previously, researchers from CU Boulder showed the benefits of the Vaporfly might be slightly reduced running uphill, although they were still significantly beneficial. In this study, researchers at BYU asked a similar question using the Saucony Endorphin Pro. Saucony athlete, Jared Ward, is one of the co-authors on this paper. Link to published open access paper can be found at the end of this post.

Testing Methods

The researchers measured running economy on a flat surface as well as at a 4% incline and decline. Check out this link to see what running economy is, how it is measured, and how it impacts performance.

Results

Running economy was significantly improved (~1.5%) on level surfaces, as well as at a 4% incline and 4% decline in the Saucony Endorphin Pro relative to a control shoe. These benefits were similar regardless of gradient. The 1.5% benefit from the Saucony Endorphin Pro is similar to what we previously showed in our super shoe comparison study.

Published Paper

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