Koşu Ayakkabısı Tasarımının Koşu Ekonomisi ve Sportif Performansa Etkisi: Taban, Ağırlık, Plaka ve Saya Özelliklerinin Biyomekanik ve Metabolik Açıdan İncelenmesi

Öz

Koşu ayakkabısı teknolojilerindeki hızlı gelişmeler, özellikle gelişmiş ayakkabı teknolojisi (Advanced Footwear Technology, AFT), yüksek enerji geri dönüşlü köpükler ve karbon fiber plaka sistemleri, koşu performansının biyomekanik ve metabolik belirleyicilerinin yeniden değerlendirilmesine neden olmuştur. Bu derlemenin amacı, koşu ayakkabısının taban yapısı, ayakkabı ağırlığı ve saya özelliklerinin koşu ekonomisi, biyomekanik yanıtlar ve sportif performans üzerindeki etkilerini güncel bilimsel kanıtlar doğrultusunda bütüncül olarak değerlendirmektir. Bu çalışma, konunun taban yapısı, ağırlık ve saya gibi birbiriyle etkileşen çok sayıda alt bileşeni kapsaması nedeniyle bilinçli bir metodolojik tercihle anlatısal ve kapsamlı bir literatür derlemesi (narrative/comprehensive literature review) niteliğinde tasarlanmıştır. Bu kapsamda PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science ve Google Scholar veri tabanlarında; “running shoe”, “midsole”, “carbon fiber plate”, “longitudinal bending stiffness”, “running economy”, “shoe mass”, “heel-to-toe drop”, “upper material” ve “athletic performance” anahtar sözcükleri kullanılarak literatür taraması gerçekleştirilmiştir. DOI numarası doğrulanmış hakemli yayınlar öncelikli olarak değerlendirilmiş ve deneysel çalışmalar, sistematik derlemeler, meta-analizler ve karşılaştırmalı araştırmalar incelenmiştir. Bulgular, AFT sistemlerinin özellikle düz ve sabit zeminlerde koşu ekonomisini yaklaşık %2–4 oranında iyileştirebildiğini, bu etkinin maraton performansına da olumlu yansıdığını göstermektedir. Bu avantaj yalnızca karbon fiber plakaya bağlanamamakta; PEBA esaslı köpüklerin enerji geri dönüş oranının geleneksel EVA köpüklere kıyasla belirgin biçimde yüksek olduğu ve orta taban uyumluluğunun RE üzerindeki en güçlü belirleyicilerden biri olduğu bildirilmektedir. Karbon plakanın bağımsız etkisi tartışmalı olmakla birlikte, plaka geometrisinin biyomekanik sonuçları farklılaştırdığı; tam uzunluklu plakaların Y-şekilli plakalara kıyasla daha düşük tepe dikey darbe kuvveti ürettiği ancak frontal düzlem eversiyon eğilimini artırdığı belirlenmiştir. Taban yüksekliğinin artırılması koşu ekonomisinde sınırlı düzeyde ek kazanım sağlarken, aşırı yüksek tabanların konfor algısını olumsuz etkileyebildiği ve global stabiliteyi farklı biçimde değiştirebildiği gösterilmiştir; AFT'nin performans avantajının ise düz ve sabit zeminlerde belirginleşirken yokuş yukarı veya dengesiz zeminlerde azalabildiği görülmektedir. Ayakkabı ağırlığı performans açısından en tutarlı değişkenlerden biri olarak öne çıkmakta; her iki ayakkabıya toplam 100 g eklenmesinin koşu ekonomisini yaklaşık %1 oranında olumsuz etkileyebildiği göstermiştir. Topuk-burun yükseklik farkının etkileri bireysel koşu kinetiği, ayak iniş biçimi, kas-tendon özellikleri ve yaralanma geçmişine göre değişmekte; düşük değerlerin ara sıra koşucularda yaralanma riskini azaltırken düzenli koşucularda artırabileceği, bu nedenle tek bir ideal değer önerilememektedir. Saya özellikleri mekanik güç transferi, uyum, nefes alabilirlik ve termofizyolojik konfor açısından önem taşımakta, ancak literatürde diğer ayakkabı bileşenlerine kıyasla belirgin biçimde daha az araştırıldığı ortaya konmuştur. Genel olarak kanıtlar, ayakkabının sportif performans üzerindeki etkisinin tek bir bileşenden değil; taban yapısı, ağırlık, saya özellikleri, zemin ve bireysel biyomekanik profil arasındaki etkileşimden kaynaklandığını göstermektedir. Bu derlemenin, incelenen çalışmalar arasındaki heterojenlik, örneklemlerin ağırlıklı olarak erkek ve elit koşuculardan oluşması, laboratuvar temelli akut tasarımların baskınlığı ve dış taban ile saya özelliklerine ilişkin kanıt tabanının sınırlı olması gibi bazı sınırlılıkları bulunmaktadır. Bu nedenle ayakkabı seçimi ve tasarımında bireyselleştirilmiş yaklaşımların ve yarışma koşullarını yansıtan saha testlerinin dikkate alınması önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Koşu aykkabısı
• koşu ekonomisi
• gelişmiş ayakkabı teknolojisi
• sportif performans

The Impact of Runnıng Shoe Desıgn on Runnıng Economy and Athletıc Performance: A Bıomechanıcal And Metabolıc Analysıs of Sole, Weıght, Plate, And Upper Propertıes

Öz

Recent advances in running shoe technology, particularly Advanced Footwear Technology (AFT), high-energy-return foams, and carbon-fiber plate systems, have led to renewed evaluation of the biomechanical and metabolic determinants of running performance. This review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of running shoe midsole and outsole structures, shoe mass, and upper characteristics on running economy, biomechanical responses, and athletic performance based on current scientific evidence. Because the topic spans numerous interacting sub-components, this study was deliberately designed as a narrative and comprehensive literature review rather than a narrowly focused systematic review. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using the keywords “running shoe,” “midsole,” “carbon fiber plate,” “longitudinal bending stiffness,” “running economy,” “shoe mass,” “heel-to-toe drop,” “upper material,” and “athletic performance.” Peer-reviewed studies with verified DOI numbers were prioritized, and experimental studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and comparative investigations were evaluated. The findings indicate that AFT systems can improve running economy by approximately 2–4%, particularly on level and stable surfaces, with this benefit also translating into improved marathon performance. This advantage cannot be attributed solely to carbon-fiber plates, as the energy-return rate of PEBA-based foams is markedly higher than that of conventional EVA foams, and midsole compliance has been reported as one of the strongest determinants of running economy. Although the independent effect of carbon plates remains debated, plate geometry differentiates biomechanical outcomes: full-length plates produce lower peak vertical impact force than Y-shaped plates while increasing frontal-plane eversion tendency. Increasing stack height provides only limited additional gains in running economy while excessively high stacks can reduce comfort and alter global stability; the performance benefit of AFT itself is surface-dependent, more evident on level, stable surfaces but diminishing during uphill or unstable-terrain running. Shoe mass emerges as one of the most consistent performance-related variables, with an additional 100 g of total mass potentially worsening running economy by approximately 1%. The effects of heel-to-toe drop vary according to individual running kinetics, foot-strike pattern, muscle-tendon characteristics, and injury history; lower drop values reduce injury risk in occasional runners while increasing it in regular runners, so a single optimal value cannot be recommended. The outsole is important for traction, friction, and shoe-surface interaction, yet evidence on its independent effects on running economy and biomechanics remains limited. Upper characteristics affect mechanical power transfer, fit, breathability, and thermophysiological comfort, but they have received markedly less research attention than other shoe components. Overall, the evidence indicates that shoe effects on athletic performance arise not from a single component but from interactions among sole structure, mass, upper characteristics, running surface, and the runner's individual biomechanical profile. This review has certain limitations, including heterogeneity among the studies examined, samples dominated by male and elite runners, the predominance of laboratory-based acute study designs, and a limited evidence base regarding outsole and upper properties. Therefore, individualized approaches to shoe selection and design, together with field testing that reflects actual competition conditions, should be considered.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Running shoes
• running economy
• advanced footwear technology
• athletic performance

Kaynakça

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