By: Mark Chen

2023 has seen the astounding rise of what is known as the ‘supershoe,’ with hundreds of runners breaking some of the greatest records imaginable. There was a time when running a sub four-minute mile was considered one of the great athletic feats in the world, but not anymore. The elite group of athletes who ran a mile in under four minutes has swollen this year to a stupefying seventeen hundred fifty-five athletes, thanks to the astounding rise of supershoes. As the year progresses, the ‘four minute mile’ will start to have less and less meaning, due to the rise of this new technology.

The stacked foam, carbon-plated, rocker design (right) of these aerobic shoes have taken the sports world by storm. Backed by strong scientific evidence, experts agree that these shoes are what are making the difference. And on both elite Olympians and casual joggers, these shoes are growing widely in popularity.

These shoes first burst onto the scene in 2016, with Nike’s Zoom Vaporfly 4%. These shoes were so instantly successful that the international governing body of athletics, World Athletics, started to limit the height of the revolutionary technology. But what gives these shoes their speed? According to Gazelle Sports, runners of an organization that promotes healthy lifestyles, it is a combination of the stacked foam, rocker designs, and plates that were so successful in the shoe. The two key features of this supershoe though, are the Carbon fiber plate and the Midsole super foam. The Carbon fiber plate, nestled inside the midsole, acts as a sort of lever to give each step an extra boost. Meanwhile, the midsole is an extremely dense foam, providing a comfortable surface for runners.

However, everything has its downsides, and this model is no exception. The foam used in its construction is easily worn down and is significantly stiffer than normal running shoes. And then, there is the price to think about. The aforementioned Nike Vaporfly can cost well over $250, and while it is not much for professional runners, that is a staggering cost for a shoe that lasts for only around 100 miles. A hundred miles may seem like a lot, but most elite runners can easily run up to two hundred miles a week.

And, another factor to consider: the research being done, although marketed for a wide range of athletes is only for the elite few who run marathons in under three hours, whereas an average adult runner can run it in over four and a half hours. Dustin Joubert, an assistant professor of kinesiology at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, believes that the shoes will not be as effective on slower runners. For this study, Joubert had eight men, and eight women run at speeds around 10 kilometers an hour, even with these super shoes. “The effects are still meaningful,” he said. “I think you might expect that they’re not going to get as large of a benefit as some folks running at faster speeds, but if you had the money and you’re looking for a racing shoe, and you liked the feel of the shoe, I think you stand to have some benefit from it.”

Concluding statement.