ARE SUPER SHOES MAKING RUNNERS FASTER *controversial*
In recent weeks there has been debates regarding if the new Nike track spikes are making runners faster. These spikes are the Nike Air Zoom victory and the Nike Dragonfly.
The Nike dragonfly has been wore in the 5000m world record and 10,000m world record, ran by nn running team member Joshua Cheptegei.
The Womens 5000m world record was also broken using this shoe by
Letesenbet Gidey.
The other shoes the Nike air zoom victory have been worn by Siffan Hassan, Donovan Brazier, Elliot Giles and many many more Nike elite athletes. Elliot Giles recently ran the 2nd fastest 800m of all time indoors. Beating Seb Coe’s British record. Jamie Webb also beat this in his adidas running spikes.
Other runners who have used this spike: The Oregon ducks during their sub 4 mile and DMR record; Cole Hocker, Cooper Teare, Reed Brown, Charlie Hunter. As well as the Bowerman track club runners in most of their track races last year. Mo Farah world record in the 1 hour track race also used the Nike Dragonfly. Jakob Ingebrigtsen also ran his European record in these spikes.
Flotrack have also done many podcasts talking about it.
Lets run comments have been a common criticiser of the spikes.
Trackstaa
#trackandfield #supershoes #nikerunning
49 Comments
I swear that Adidas has a new prototype that they haven't brought out yet, that has a carbon plate? As some people wore those at the NB grand prix? Is JW just annoyed he hasn't been given them ?
Regardless of one’s opinion on it, why does it matter if they improve runners or not? Technology and designs of shoes have improved over the years! Jesse Owens shoes aren’t the same as Usain Bolt’s shoes for example, so why is this any different in terms of adaptation?
I wonder if there’s a correlation to form, since the “super spikes” changes your form I believe and puts you up more on your toes. If an athlete that heel strikes more, or just has inferior biomechanics compared to their competition, they might benefit more from the super spikes than someone with better more natural biomechanics when worn and they would run faster comparatively to their previous non super spike times.
I don’t think people commenting get the point. I don’t think you get the point either. It’s not about improving performance, it’s about less impact in high impact shoes. Reduced impact is gonna lead to faster recovery, leading to improved potential future training/performance. The new technology doesn’t “make” an athlete faster. They do however give them an opportunity to benefit.
this research doesn't come close to reaching any conclusions, you haven't proved anything. you need to look at hundreds of samples to even get a rough idea, ideally thousands, any claims you make that there is or isn't abaselessattributing
athletics regulations, you should be taking it up with the regulations not the shoes. we have seen inflated times on the roads since the new era of shoes and this has been accepted (and this has been proved through extensive research). it is very likely that to some extent the same is happening on the track with the full length rigid plate and new foam technology being used in the spikes.
there are just too many variables at play to really know how much of a difference they make, but I have no doubt that with all else being equal the spikes improve performance to some extent.
It’s not as if this is 15:00 5km runners putting on the shoes and suddenly running 13:00– these are quality runners. Also, I think that making a comparison over 5 years is a little inaccurate as the shoes aren’t the only factors which have changed.
As has already happened, simply put restrictions on what constitutes a legal shoe. No one now gives vent over the difference between cinder tracks and synthetic tracks even though synthetic tracks confer considerable advantage. How about starting blocks? What would Jesse Owens have run on a synthetic tracks with starting blocks? The recent shoe advances will be the new norm. Yes, ban shoes with wheels! And ban able-bodied shoes with carbon blades like those used as prosthetics in para athletics. Define a shoe in terms of materials, constituent parts and size (eg: do not allow them to come above the ankle joint). But don’t do it like swimming where they waited until there were basically no records left to be broken before they decided they didn’t like what was happening.
Simple answer, yes. Simple response to the critics, get over it. Golfers aren't going back to wooden clubs, composite hockey stick are here to stay, Tesla makes a nice car. Get over it things change.
W for trackstaa
Very well said
All these videos do is sell more shoes for Nike. Nothing in the history of track running will ever have a greater impact than modern tracks with Mondo surface.
I'd say that it has less effect in faster races, as they are very spongy so absorb a lot of the high impacts of sprinting
great video. just for accuracy, karissa was wearing air zoom vics in her 14:26 not dragonflys but still a "super shoe"
Ah crap…I was hoping I could buy myself an improvement. You’ve dashed my hopes 😭
A wee bit of ZoomX foam isn’t going to take 6.53 seconds off the 10000m world record alone
Great video! I think it’s also important for people to remember that Giles was in a serious bike crash a couple of years ago. So a gradual improvement since then would make sense!
I think after watching this video, the doubters will turn to drugs again instead of shoes…
Just because the shoes provide a minimal benefit doesn’t mean you BOOMERS have to completely dismiss the amazing performances of late, so stop hating you old ass losers and start respecting the work ethic and consistency of these athletes
Anyone know which spikes are best for 800 and 1500?
One thing of note. The season last year in 2020 was a little different due to uncertainty and covid. But all athletes taking a longer time off from racing definitely is also coming into play. After this season we will have a much larger sample size of professional runners using the spikes and having a peak during outdoors. Outside of college runners in the coming month there's no real reason for any pro to have peaked in a while outside of record attempts. We just had 3 runners break the ncaa1500/mile records in a span of 2 days. Not saying they aren't generational talents but imagine if lawi Lalang had those the year he ran 13:00 or sam chelanga when he beat rupp and ran 27:08 in the 10k
Houlihan said she didn't wear the spikes because she didn't want any doubters which is fair she's was also already a 3:54 runner so a huge pr was coming regardless. Nick willis also said the spikes are definitely faster after running 400s in them.
And for cheptegei running the 12:35 I think the pacing light was worth waayyy more than the spikes.
Thinking the spikes make the runner a smidge faster doesn't diminish their performance to me but in comparison to older athletes I will always think of that. Imagine the 12:37 5k bekele ran but with the dragonfly spikes or even just plain nike zoom victories AND wave light tech. That would be crazy. If we look at the marathon there's no doubt that the shoes have improved performances. If you think these shoe companies haven't figured it out for track distances I can't agree with that lol. Tech will always improve sport is my point.
It does seem that the longer the race is the more the super shoes have an advantage
The dragonflys aren't even a massive technological change. All it is is a spike with more super soft foam to provide more cushioning. In a nutshell it is the matumbo with more, softer foam. But I guess now the critics believe that adding extra stack height for the purpose of greater cushioning is something that is unfair and shouldn't be done.
Good video. I did one on a similar theme on my channel looking at UK marathon standards. What I found was that standards had been rising year on year since the early 2000s and so the rise when the Vaporflys came out was already happening to a certain extent and the shoes were not the only factor. Kind of similar with your analysis with Giles & Scott. As for the spikes then I managed to get hold of a pair of each and did a few races in the Dragonfly last summer. Myth one debunked is that the Dragonflys do not even have a carbon plate. They are however great for this never has been 54 year old as they are so much more cushioned than "traditional" spikes and nicely throw you forwards. It does come with a weight penalty however and that plus maybe some athletes just don't liking the soft feeling a layer of ZoomX gives is maybe another reason why some athletes still go better in "normal" spikes. So really, for me, the "super" is just the somewhat "novel" approach of designing a spike to be more like a road race flat sacrificing some weight for more comfort. I do wonder whether some of the naysayers have actually seen net alone run in them. No shoe alone is going to give you a 1:43 and then indoors. Exciting times for British athletics. We have contenders in many distance events and both genders.
Hmm, I don't profess to be a biomechanist or anything similar however I think it's very clear that much like the general improvements in road times since the advent of the supershoe (hate that term) that there is something bubbling with spikes. To deny what's in front of your eyes and shattered s legitimate discussion to be had is either ignorant or naive and I'm sure your neither of those although for obvious reasons I get why athletes themselves will be reluctant to give any credence to this.
Similarly to focus solely on Nike 's offerings denies the true picture. According to Nick Willis, who Im willing to accept has some expertise in discussing various aspects of middle distance running, the New Balance spike blew him away. Have a read at Geoff Burns (a biomechanist) and his general views on the spikes.
There's no doubt athletes are training smarter and better than before, however anecdotally if you were to look at the general trend in times across the board you'd be of the opinion this is a golden period in endurance running. It may be, I can't say that with any certainty though because the spikes currently muddy that conclusion. Videos like this however try and kill the discussion but it's a discussion that needs to happen for the sport to retain any credibility. Its not cheating as these shoes comply with world athletics current criteria for legitimate trackwear. That's not the question. It's about credibility. I'm old enough to remember when athletics was a hugely popular sport as opposed to the niche sport it is sadly fast becoming. When a sport loses credibility it's loses everything. If your to believe the article in The Times the Viperfly (the sprinting superspike for want of a better phrase) won't now be released for that very reason. If you truly believe in this sport ( which I believe you do and I do like some of the things your trying to do) don't try and shut down this discussion, particularly not with some flawed attempt to show, or not as the case may be, statistical correlations. Trust me you didnt.
I have no problem with shoes making athletes faster. Technology is a part of every sport and every sport has benefited from it for hundreds of years. Jesse Owens had better shoes than the first modern Olympic Winners, and 60’s athletes had better shoes than Jesse Owens, and Bolt had better shoes than 60’s runners. Additionally, our scientific understanding of running biomechanics and nutrition have improved significantly which has led to better training/coaching and better performances. Heck, we can now use motion tracking and all kinds of sensors to measure peoples’ running economy and recovery. Guys in 1896 drank brandy to refuel during the Olympic marathon while we use high-tech Maurten gels and whatnot. Maybe we should have an “1896” division in races where you have to wear ill-fitting wool clothing and leather shoes, drink only brandy and eat peanuts to refuel, etc.
Or they've trained for over 12 months…
No, they simply perfected their doping cycles over the least year. Less races, and far less testing. Keep in mind lance Armstrong never tested positive for drugs as the most tested athlete ever.
Giles is packing
Shoes r only going to improve your time by seconds if any. It's all about the crazy training these runners go through.
Honestly this is the dumbest video comparison I have seen.
Isnt viperfly the real super shoe but banned? Dragon/victory are just lookalikes but are actually normal spikes?
Trackstaa, I feel like this is a good attempt at answering this question, but the data isn't reliable enough to argue either way. The same athlete performing better in non-supershoes could be attributed to numerous other factors, like their fitness, mental strength, sleep the night before, nutrition, and a hundred other things. Simply comparing times from the same runner does not mean at all that the shoes are causing these differences, it's possible the shoes did give them an advantage but because they didn't sleep well the night before they performed more poorly. I think it was an honest attempt at something much more complicated than a non-scientist can measure. I honestly don't have an opinion on whether the shoes give an advantage, but a study of the physics/mechanics of the shoes should be done, not something as simple as comparing times.
very good video
I own the “super spikes”,they don’t make you run faster . They simply help faster runners save more energy because of zoom x
Great video, shutting up the naysayers.
for those who are hating on these innovative shoes, they can go and compete barefoot on a dirt track imo. yeah, the sport of track&field has progressed throughout the years as everything else and a part of it is the shoe development too. and clearly these shoes don't even give advantage as proven in this video.
Yes, they are and are not alone. Supershoes affect runners capabilities in a positive way because they are very protective on long distances and are able to sustain a fast pace, so runners can train and race more at their fast paces with minor injuries risk and therefore becoming stronger. Other tech that is making runners stronger is cardiac monitoring and power monitoring and all the pletora of other data that are now so easy to obtain with chest pods and foot pods. I myself was able to plan my very self training in a way that boosted my overall performance in less than a year, just with a Garmin watch, chest belt and Stryd footpod. I also benefitted from Powerdot recovery programs and strengh programs. Improving ourself has never been easier.
Such a great video. Excellent research
lets be honest traning methods and philosophies have improved massively over the last few years we just know how to train faster and smarter now. In addition the less is more mentallity has come into greater prevelance I would say thats probably the biggest factor.
Athletes have been training in locations all over the world – despite there being travel restrictions placed on most of the rest of the population. Have drug testers been flying all over the world to the same extent? For example, Farah is training in Ethiopia; has UK anti doping been there recently? Would they be allowed to travel out there under the UK government's current travel restrictions? Ditto Giles and other UK middle distance athletes training in Dubai?
Can we have the stats on screen for longer, and with more of the stats at the same time so its easier to keep track of you line of argument? plz
Jamie webb only just come back from injury aswell
Try counting how many times he said ‘super-spike’ in this helpful video?
I don't think the shoes are as magic as people think. If you're already a stellar athlete, the shoes won't do much
So you think that the alphalfys and NEXT% shoes make marathoners faster, but superspikes dont work? This information is obviously handpicked and very bias.
🔥🙌🏽🔥
I guess it’s time to redo the video. Throw out the 800 comparisons because I think the shoe has little to no effect on distances under 1500m. Since the introduction to the super shoes we’ve seen WRs in both the men’s and women’s 5,000 and 10,000m. On the women’s side we saw the 10,000 record broken twice within days of each other. NCAA indoor records in the mile (two broke it in the same race). US HS record in the 1500m of 3:34 beating Webb’s long standing mark by 4 seconds. 10 guys broke the NCAA meet record at this year’s NCAA 10,000m. First, second, and third place beat it by 20 seconds. And to follow it up massive PBs by NCAA distance athletes at the championships. We’re only in the beginning stages. Get ready for runners to make a mockery of the current Oly records. The circus is just beginning so get the popcorn ready.
Hoolihan didn’t need a super spike did she lol
Can't anyone wear "super spikes"?
This video could really do with some. visuals. There are so many numbers mentioned and compared that it's tricky to keep track. I think the differences would be better illustrated if shown