Is the incredible record-breaking in athletics just thanks to the shoes? Such are the “revolutionary” super spikes

It was a wonderful evening. In the evening of the Paris Diamond League on Friday, June 9, there was a lot of fun on the running track.

of Kenya Faith Kipyegon, 29, ran the women’s 5,000m in a new ME 14.05.20. Kipyegon had already won the ME at 1,500 meters a week earlier.

Ethiopian Lamecha Girma22, won the men’s 3,000m steeplechase ME in 7:51.11.

Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen22, ran the fastest time ever in the two miles at 7:54.10.

When amazing times are run in athletics, technological development is always discussed in addition to the freezing performance of the athletes.

The most well-known surface for athletics tracks is mondo. The synthetic coating acts like a spring. It stores the work done by the harmonic force and strives to return to balance, whereupon potential energy is released as kinetic energy. The track at the Stade Charlety stadium in Paris is known for being extremely fast.

However, the biggest topic of conversation in recent years has been footwear technology. There has been talk of water shoes and super spikes.

The “laboratory test” of the marathon and the miracle times of the 400-meter hurdles

In endurance running, people really started talking about super shoes when Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour mark in the marathon in the fall of 2019. The performance took place in “laboratory conditions” and not in the actual competition, so the International Association of Athletics Federations WA did not accept it as an official world record.

The official ME is the 2.01.09 run by Kipchoge in Berlin 2022.

Of course, different shoes are used on different trips. On the road, the benefit of super shoes depends on the stiffness, curvature of the carbon fiber plate of the shoe, the weight of the shoe and the elastic material of the sole. The economy of the runner improves, the step frequency is lower and the step length is higher.

Some think that the development of shoe technology is doping, while shoe manufacturers and many athletes have defended themselves that it is a natural development and that everything is done within the rules.

At the Tokyo Olympics 2021 Karsten Warholm and Sydney McLaughlin the new MEs ran in the 400-meter hurdles. The shoes spoke again. The drainage effect of the spikes was based on a flexible carbon fiber plate. Shoes were completely allowed.

WA has been striving to keep up with development and set limits, but it cannot stop technological development. Of course, footwear brands are also important partners for athletics.

Criticism has also been caused by the fact that, according to WA rules, shoes should be available to everyone. Currently, WA approves the use of prototype shoes in competitions, even if they are not yet on general sale. This rule has also been pushed back and forth over the years.

Last summer, at the World Championships, Warholm surprised even his competitors when he appeared at the starting line wearing shoes with a protrusion at the toe.

Previously, Warholm had on the one hand criticized technological development, on the other hand collaborated with F1 team Mercedes in the development of carbon fiber plate.

Read more: The Norwegian star who preached about bouncy spikes made a complete turn – this is what Karsten Warholm’s super shoes with a nail at the tip are all about

A recent study revealed a huge benefit

When Kipyegon, Girma and Ingebrigtsen broke records in the evening in Paris, the trio had one thing in common. According to The Times everyone used new age super spikes.

According to experts, they can improve running economy by two percent. Physiologist of the United States Olympic Committee by Geoff Burns according to that, an improvement of even one percent can mean 3.2 seconds better time in a mile, or 1,609 meters.

Ingebrigtsen improved the two-mile record time of 7:54.10 in Paris, when the former world best was by Daniel Komen 7.58.61 from 1997.

According to Burns’ calculation, Komen would have run the two miles 12.8 seconds faster if he had super spikes.

Of course, this is only one study devoted to the development of rail spikes. In addition, the current ME factory has been influenced by light hare technology and advanced track coatings.

In any case, already in 2021, Burns had described the new shoe technology as “changing everything”.

Kipyegon ran in Nike Air Zoom Victory shoes, which retail for around 260 euros, while Ingebrigtsen and Girma ran in upgraded versions of that shoe, according to The Times. Nike gained exposure through this trio, although similar products can be found from other shoe manufacturers.

The working group of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which is responsible for the shoe regulations, includes representatives from six shoe manufacturers: Adidas, Asics, Brooks, New Balance, Nike and Puma.

Previously, research into advanced shoe technology had focused on running shoes, especially for marathon travel, as evidenced by Kipchoge’s 2019 record attempt.

The American College of Sports Medicine held its annual congress at the turn of May and June, where the development of super spikes used on track trips was prominently displayed. According to ACSM, only now have the first significant studies on railway spikes been completed.

Dustin Joubert led by a group at the University of Austin had devoted themselves to the matter. They tested how much oxygen is used to maintain a certain kilometer pace with different shoes. This is how they got to the above-mentioned two percent financial improvement.

– There is no longer any doubt that “super shoes” are faster in competitions. But there is still debate about whether it makes sense to practice them. Maybe they reduce muscle damage, speed up recovery, and allow you to rack up miles faster. Or maybe they increase the risk of injury and weaken the muscles, he wrote to the Outside site Canadian runner, science journalist Alex Hutchinson.

Why are super spikes better?

Compared to traditional track spikes, the modern super spikes are, first of all, harder thanks to the base plate made of carbon fiber. According to research, the stiffness of the bottom plate has a significant effect on both marathons and track spikes.

It is still athlete-specific how a runner benefits from any shoe. Those with strong foot muscles benefit more from stiff shoes, because the stiff sole directs the step contact towards the toes.

The change in pressure point also increases the lever arm of the foot. It, in turn, helps to increase the stride length.

In addition, even the spikes now have a midsole, which used to be EVA cellular plastic. Nowadays, PEBA plastic is used, which returns a larger part of the compression energy.

The development of shoes is beneficial for all track trips, but the reasons vary. For endurance trips, it is most essential that the economy of the run and the optimization of energy consumption improve. On the other hand, for fast distances, the goal is to develop power production in step contact.

Kihu expert I met Keränen also brought up by Kim Hebert-Losier and By Milly Pamment a recent research article. According to them, the benefit of super-peakers in performance could be 1-1.5 percent. Thus, in 1,500 meters, a runner of 3.35 could become a runner under 3.32.

In WA’s current rules, the thickness of the sole of the shoe can be a maximum of 20 millimeters for distances of less than 800 meters, 25 millimeters for distances of 800 meters and longer, and 40 millimeters for road distances.

Since 2020, a total of nine world records have been broken in Olympic track distances. And spike studies are just in their infancy.

– Surely inventors and engineers will find side dishes. This is unlikely to end here, Keränen predicted.

The story was also used as a source for the presentation by Kihu expert Tapani Keränen in the fall of 2022, “Supershoes – the new era of competitive running”. The presentation can be found on Kihu’s YouTube channel.