Endurance Innovation

Dustin Joubert on Supershoes

Episode Summary

Dustin Joubert, Associate Professor of ... at Stephen F. Austin State University, talks about his research into running economy benefits of modern 'supershoes' and how a pair may help you hit that PB.

Episode Notes

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• 1:30 meet Dustin Joubert
• 3:00 Dustin’s first experience with modern ‘supershoes’
• 5:30 all the published research is on the Nike Vaporfly line
• 6:30 what is a ‘supershoe’?
  • Carbon plates increase rigidity
  • More / thicker cushioning
  • New, higher compliance materials
• 8:15 defining the primary metric used to compare shoes: running economy
• 11:45 the Study
• 19:45 the results
  • Top-tier tested shoes: Nike Alphafly, Vaporfly, Asics Metaspeed Sky
  • Mid-tier shoes:  Saucony Endorfphine Pro, NB RC Elite
  • No-effect shoes: Hoka Rocket X, Brooks Hyperion Elite 2
• 22:00 is it possible to correlate midsole foam material to performance in this study?
• 25:00 which shoe should I buy?
• 28:45 field testing shoes
• 30:30 translating running economy improvements to race performance
  • ~1:1 improvement in race times vs improvement in economy at slower speeds (~14kph)
  • ~⅔ : 1 improvement in race times vs improvement in economy at faster speeds
  • With the caveat that economy itself may not increase as much at slower speeds
• 36:00 what’s next in shoe tech?

Dustin's Supershoe paper preprint.

Follow Dustin's Instagram account on the latest on his formal and case study work.