Longitudinal Changes in Running Economy Following Minimalist Footwear and Running-Retraining Interventions Over 12 Months.
Guillaume Abran, Nadia Dardenne, François Delvaux et al.
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In 30 seconds
This 12-month randomized controlled trial compared minimalist footwear and running retraining with a control condition in 61 habitual rearfoot runners. Running economy (RE) improved from baseline in all three groups, with no clear between-group differences. At 12 months, RE had improved by 9.3% in the minimalist group, 10.5% in the retraining group, and 4.7% in controls. Foot and ankle characteristics did not change significantly in any group. The findings suggest neither intervention provided additional RE benefit over the control condition during follow-up.
Key findings
- At 12 months, RE improved from baseline by 9.3% with minimalist footwear and 10.5% with retraining; both changes were statistically significant.
- The control group’s RE improved by 4.7% at 12 months compared with baseline (P = .01).
- There were no clear between-group differences in RE at any time point.
- Foot and ankle characteristics showed no significant changes in any group during follow-up.
Why it matters
The improvement in running economy across intervention and control groups cautions against attributing within-group gains to minimalist footwear or retraining alone. For clinicians discussing these approaches with runners, the trial indicates that average long-term benefit beyond the control condition was not demonstrated, while individual responses may vary.
What to keep in mind
The trial included 61 habitual rearfoot runners, and follow-up was limited to 12 months. Substantial interindividual variability was noted, and the abstract does not identify which participants were most likely to respond.