NOW athletes who want to run on track with shoes having thickness higher than 25mm can do it, also if their performance can't be validated, if is a record. But this is the last update of the rule : in August, when WA communicated "with immediate effect" the rule, the athletes WERE NOT ALLOWED TO RUN. There were judges controlling the athlete's shoes before the start, and this happened with 3 days only of notice.
You say that the rule is not confusing : what about National Championships where the winner, without any record, becomes Champion wearing shoes with 40mm of thickness, and is officially recognized as National Champion (Portuguese Championships 10000m) ?
And, please, don't compare the One Hour record, that has an important history with many top Champions in the Golden Roll (from Paavo Nurmi to Ron Clarke to Haile Gebrselassie) with some joke like the Beer Mile, or the use of Kangaroo shoes, or the record of HM wearing a smoking.
The fact there were not competition on One Hour during the last 20 years depends on the continue increase of the number of HM on the road, but before 2000 the distance of One Hour was frequently run, also in some classic meeting.