A Simon Fraser University study has confirmed what female runners already know - women's running shoes do not meet the needs of female runners.
Despite a huge growth in female sports over recent years, running shoes are still typically designed on molds of male feet.
The designs are then made smaller and more effeminate in colour - an approach known as "shrink it and pink it" - for female runners.
Researchers suggest that if women's running shoes were actually based on the female foot anatomy, then they could boost comfort, enhance injury prevention and improve performance.
"The most telling part of our research for me was that many of the women taking part in the study thought that they were alone in their struggles to find a running shoe that met their needs," said Christopher Napier, assistant professor of biomedical physiology and kinesiology and director of the SFU Run Lab.
"They thought that their feet, or their individual preferences were the problem. So they developed work arounds like different lacing techniques, or sizing up for a wider toe box, which would then mean that the heel would slip.
"When participants started talking to each other, they realised just how common their issues are and how difficult it is to find a running shoe that fits them properly."
In order to better understand the needs of recreational and competitive female runners, researchers recruited female runners of mixed ages and running experience via posters displayed in Vancouver running stores.
The selected 21 participants were aged between 20-70 years and had between six and 58 years of running experience. Nine of the women ran during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth.
"To classify women as a single entity didn't make sense as their bodies and anatomy change over their lifespan," says Napier. "So their preferences and needs evolve based on many factors."
As part of the qualitative study, participants were split into two focus groups based on whether they ran for leisure or competitively.
They were asked a series of questions as to what they look for in a running shoe, what's important for them and what features work or do not work. They were also asked to rank their different priorities in running shoes.
The study, published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine journal, found that:
- Women prioritise comfort, fit and injury prevention in their footwear
- Many want a wider toe box, narrower heel and adequate cushioning
- Women's footwear needs shift over time, with pregnancy and age influencing shoe size, width and stability preferences
- Competitive runners seek performance-enhancing features, such as a carbon plate, but do not want to sacrifice comfort.
According to Allison Ezzat, senior author of the study and implementation scientist at the B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit, it is time for footwear manufacturers to move beyond the "shrink it and pink it" approach.
"Across so many areas of sport and exercise in general, the research has all been done on men and boys. We just extrapolate it to women and girls and assume it is going to be the same," she says.
"The "shrink it and pink it" approach is the way it's always been done. It's more cost effective and easier for manufacturers - no one has ever questioned it before.
"From our perspective as researchers, we want to get the message out there to some of these bigger shoe manufacturers that women aren't necessarily satisfied with what's on offer.
"Women are half the population, there's a whole new market open to brands if they choose to go down the route of designing shoes that are made with and for women."
The study was initially conceived to help inform the design of a female running shoe, by the Vancouver-based company Hettas, which launched last year.
"The next step is to research what the benefits are of a running shoe designed for women," adds Napier.
"Do the runners perform better and suffer fewer injuries? Do they just enjoy the experience of running more?
"There's a huge gap in sports research on women and girls, our aim at the SFU Run Lab is to try to fill that gap a bit."
Available Experts
CHRISTOPHER NAPIER, assistant professor of biomedical physiology and kinesiology and director of the SFU Run Lab | [email protected]
ALLISON EZZAT, clinical assistant professor, Physical Therapy, UBC; Investigator, BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute; associate, Women's Health Research Institute, BC Women's Hospital | [email protected]
