DURABILITY OF RUNNING SHOES WITH EVA AND PU MIDSOLE

Abstract

Running shoes may play an important role in preventing injuries by absorbing external shock due to ground impact (Cook et al., 1990; Verdejo and Mills, 2004). Shoe age maybe an important factor in running injuries. One prospective study showed that running injury was associated with shoe age (Taunton et al., 2003). In recent years, different types of foam materials have been developed for running shoe midsoles. Two common types of foam materials, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and Polyurethane (PU), are now widely used in running shoe midsoles. The purpose of the present study was to examine the durability of running shoes with common types of EVA and PU midsole materials.