There were a number of years, starting in 2016, when the Nike athletes had a huge advantage. Basically they were mechanically doping as they had access to super shoes that no one else did.
Now everyone has a super shoe, but are they all created equal? When adidas came out with their $500 shoe - the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, I thought to myself, "What if those shoes ends up being way better than Nike's - wouldn't that be rich?" Then Assefa promptly DESTROYS the world record in the first major race in the shoes.
Sports scientists/shoe experts, I'm trying to figure out how much the reduced weight helps. These new shoes are just 4.8 ounces. That's crazy. Despite being HUGE and proving a ton of support. they weigh less than even old school flats like the Nike Streak XC (5.5 oz) or the Vaporfly's (6.5 ounces).
What I want to know is how important is that 1.7 ounce difference.
I've written several sports scientists this afternoon asking them this question.
If Assefa ran 2:11:53 in a 4.8 ounce shoe (well hers was less as the weight I found are for men's size 9 and 9.5), what would she be expected to run in a 6.5 ounce shoe that worked just as well? What about Kipchoge? Kipchoge ran 2:01:09 in a 6.5 ounce shoe, what would we expect him to run in a 4.8 ounce shoe that worked just as well?
