Technological advances in elite marathon performance

Abstract

There is scientific and legal controversy about recent technological advances in performance running shoes that reduce the energetic cost of running and may provide a distinct competitive advantage. To better understand the potential performance-enhancing effects of Nike’s pioneering marathon racing shoes, we examined the finishing times and racing shoes of the top 50 male and 50 female runners from the World Marathon Major series in the 2010s — before and after the introduction of new Nike shoe models (4%, NEXT%, Alphafly, and other prototypes; herein referred to as neoteric Nikes). Data for racing shoes were available for 3,886 of the 3,900 performances recorded at the four annual marathons in Boston, London, Chicago, and New York. In full cohort analyses, marathon finishing times were 2.0% or 2.8 min (138.5 ± 8.1 min vs. 141.3 ± 7.4 min, P<0.001) faster for male runners wearing neoteric Nikes compared to other shoes. For females, marathon finishing times were 2.6% or 4.3 min (159.1 ± 10.0 min vs. 163.4 ± 10.7 min, P<0.001) faster for runners wearing neoteric Nikes. In a subset of within-runner changes in marathon performances (males, n = 138; females, n = 101), marathon finishing times improved by 0.8% or 1.2 min for males wearing neoteric Nikes relative to the most recent marathon in which other shoes were worn, and this performance-enhancing effect was greater among females who demonstrated 1.6% or 3.7 min improvement (P=0.002). Our results demonstrate that marathon performances for world-class athletes are substantially faster wearing neoteric Nikes than other market-leading shoes, particularly among females.

Can we quantify the benefits of “super spikes” in track running?

“…In the end, we might just need to rely on an unbiased comparison of track performances pre-and post-the introduction of super spikes, or, at the individual level, changes in an athlete's training or race times. In several years, we can expect performance analyses into the historical development of annual top 20 and top 50 performances, similar to those currently being published for marathon super shoes [6,7]. Until then we need to be careful with anecdotal evidence.…”

“…Even if metabolic benefits can validly be quantified for track events, we still will not know how much of a specific performance improvement should be attributed to footwear. For the Vaporfly, the metabolic savings were 4%, but the time savings are smaller [6][7][8][9]. The exact time savings depend on running velocity, the runner's individual metabolic savings from the shoes at that velocity, and their individual metabolic rate -velocity relation (including their individual efficiency to overcome air resistance [54]).…”

“…Wearing successor models of the Vaporfly, Eliud Kipchoge and Bridget Kosgei broke the marathon world records and Kipchoge ran the first sub-2-hour marathon. In the years after their introduction, annual top 20, top 50 and top 100 men's and women's marathon times have been up to 2.0% and 2.6% faster than before, respectively [6,7].…”

Can We Quantify the Benefits of “Super Spikes” in Track Running?

“…In 2017, the Nike Vaporfly 4% sparked debate introducing the now familiar combination of lightweight, compliant, and resilient midsole foam and a stiff plate. The shoe was found to improve running economy compared to top marathon racing shoes by 4% on average in 18 men running 5-min trials at 14, 16, and 18 km/h [ 6 ]. This was later confirmed for 12 men and 12 women at 14, 16, and 18 km/h and 14, 15, and 16 km/h, respectively [ 7 ].…”

“…Wearing successor models of the Vaporfly, Eliud Kipchoge and Bridget Kosgei broke the marathon world records and Kipchoge ran the first sub-2-h marathon. In the years after their introduction, annual top 20, top 50, and top 100 men’s and women’s marathon times have been up to 2.0% and 2.6% faster than before, respectively [ 6 , 7 ].…”