By: Iris Xu
During the spring season, the University of Washington track team showcased eight sub-four-minute milers. In the following month of June, four high school runners achieved the same feat in a single race. Meanwhile, on the professional circuit, Paris witnessed three world records being shattered within a week: Faith Kipyegon of Kenya set new records in both the women’s 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters, while Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia established a new mark in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
The latest record-breaking moment occurred on Friday night when Kipyegon stunned track fans, breaking the women’s one-mile world record by nearly five seconds, finishing in an incredible 4 minutes 7.64 seconds. Such a performance was unprecedented, considering that track records typically improve only by tenths of a second.
The question that emerges is- why has there been an abundance of fast times lately? This query has been asked and answered multiple times. Notably, the use of Wavelight, the pace-setting technology, and the evolution of super shoes, featuring thick, springy midsole plates, have undoubtedly played a significant role in revolutionizing racing performance. These specialized shoes offer higher rebound energy when a runner pushes off, contributing to faster times.
Yet, many sports scientists attribute the speed surge to years of training with these specialized shoes. They believe in the specificity principle, emphasizing that for athletes to perform at their best, they must train using the same gear they will use during the race. This includes running at a race pace, consuming the same nutrition and hydration, and crucially, wearing the same super shoes. “Since I’m going to be wearing super shoes in races, I want to get a good feel for them in training,” Flanagan said. “I’ve found that I can log more quality days, as well as more mileage in general, because my legs come around sooner.”
The introduction of super shoes came in 2016 with Nike’s release of the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%, which proved substantially faster than earlier shoe models. Subsequently, all major shoe companies have developed their versions of super shoes, and they have become popular among hundreds of thousands of everyday runners.
According to the New York Times, elite athletes, like Lindsay Flanagan, who will compete in the World Championships marathon, have integrated super shoes into their training regimen, experiencing improved performance and recovery. However, some professionals choose not to train in super shoes, opting to rely on traditional shoes for strength-building and then leveraging the super shoes’ advantages on race day.
Despite the performance benefits of super shoes, concerns have been raised about potential injuries caused by the atypical stresses they may place on bones and soft tissues. Studies have pointed to navicular bone injuries resulting from super-shoe use. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of comprehensive data on injury rates using standard statistical models, and some researchers argue that biomechanics in super shoes might not differ significantly from traditional ones.
“I’ve seen super-shoe injuries in runners at all levels — high school runners, recreational runners and elite athletes,” Saxena said.
Additionally, contrary to assumptions, super shoes have demonstrated a longer functional life than traditional models, with the dense foam midsoles retaining their cushioning and energy-return properties for extended periods. This characteristic, combined with the soft cushioning aiding recovery, has made super shoes particularly appealing to older runners like Bill Salazar, who have reported faster recovery times and enhanced performance.
Top runners have noted that the use of super shoes has allowed them to finish marathons stronger and faster, as their leg muscles experience less fatigue compared to traditional shoes. Kelvin Kiptum’s astonishing second-fastest marathon time in London attested to the undeniable benefits of these shoes, as he ran an impressive 2:01:25.