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Research led by four UNH majors could have an influence on the marketing efforts of a major international athletic shoe brand.

Amanda Ares 鈥�25, Allison Petry 鈥�25, Morgan Koskela 鈥�25 and Owen Daigle 鈥�26 used their Hamel Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to find that carbon-fiber plated (CFP) running shoes can improve the performance of recreational runners, a conclusion the students were able to present directly to industry experts at the shoe company, making suggestions about shoe comfort and urging the brand to consider marketing to recreational runners 鈥� a potentially overlooked audience.

The students had the opportunity to collaborate with the athletic shoe company and present their findings themselves. It was a beneficial real-world scenario that drove the potential impact of the research home.

鈥淲hen you present at a scientific conference, you鈥檙e speaking to other researchers in the field in a strictly scientific manner. But here, we were presenting to industry researchers 鈥� people who drive product development and are deeply invested in the results,鈥� Ares says. 鈥淭hey wanted to have a real conversation, a back-and-forth discussion. They鈥檙e experts in what we were studying, but they approach research differently than those at academic conferences. It was a completely different experience."

While research exists on CFP shoes and the benefits to elite athletes, the students were more interested in how these high-tech shoes impact recreational runners 鈥� those training for 5Ks or striving for personal bests, according to Petry.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e all runners, and it鈥檚 something that we can apply to ourselves and this larger population that is kind of understudied,鈥� Petry says.听

For the study to work, the students needed consistent and experienced recreational runners who ran at least 15-to-30 miles per week, had experience running 5K races, had no prior experience running in CFP shoes and fell within specific race time ranges to ensure a comparable performance level (for men, 18 to 24 minutes in a 5K; for women, 22 to 29 minutes.)

鈥淭hey were extremely resourceful at recruiting participants. Over the summer, they took advantage of local road races in New Hampshire, identifying runners who met their time criteria. Then, they鈥檇 track them down on Instagram and send messages asking if they wanted to participate in a research study,鈥� says Summer Cook, associate professor of kinesiology and faculty advisor to the student team. 鈥淥nce they secured a participant, they鈥檇 ask if they had running friends who might also qualify, creating a snowball effect.鈥�

The team recruited 22 runners, who then completed a series of 5K treadmill time trials under controlled conditions at the . Each participant ran the same distance in:听

• Their own running shoes 听
• A non-CFP running shoe (similar in design but without the carbon-fiber plate) 听
• A CFP running shoe 听

The study measured pacing strategies, biomechanics, perceived comfort and post-run fatigue to understand how CFP shoes affect recreational runners.

The results confirmed that CFP shoes enhanced performance for recreational runners, though comfort was a notable concern. Among the noteworthy findings:

• On average, runners completed their 5K 48 seconds faster (a 3% improvement) in CFP shoes compared to the non-CFP shoes. 听
• The carbon-fiber plate altered biomechanics, reducing contact time and encouraging a forefoot strike, improving efficiency.听
• Runners did not feel like they were exerting more effort. 听
• Runners preferred their own shoes over the other shoes. 听

"It makes sense that participants rated their own shoes as the most comfortable," Daigle explains. "They were already familiar with them, while the test shoes were either brand new or had only been worn a few times. We couldn鈥檛 control how broken-in a shoe was, but it was interesting to see how familiarity and wear affected comfort perception."

To maintain objectivity, participants weren鈥檛 aware of their times during testing.听

鈥淣ot every subject saw a big difference 鈥� one runner had almost the same time, and a couple even ran slightly slower 鈥� but many who weren鈥檛 sure about the shoe's feel actually ran significantly faster,鈥� Petry says.听

Each measurement in the study helped to explain why the runners saw an increase in performance with the CFP shoes. Koskela, for example, measured foot strike and contact time.听

鈥淲e found a significant decrease in contact time when runners wore carbon-fiber plated shoes, meaning they鈥檙e spending less time on the ground, which, in theory, contributes to a longer stride length. The idea is that the shoe鈥檚 stiff plate helps propel runners forward, extending their stride and increasing flight time, which can enhance speed,鈥� Koskela says.听听

The subjects of the study are precisely the demographic the student researchers feel could benefit from a more targeted marketing approach 鈥� and one that is often overlooked 鈥� which is the message they delivered during their presentation to the shoe company.

鈥淢any recreational runners have personal goals and want to set new personal records. They may not be elite competitors, but they鈥檙e not just running for fun 鈥� they want to improve and see progress,鈥� Ares says.听