Help this old guy out.
I "kind of" understand the super shoe phenomenon when it relates to road racing/marathoning, but are the super shoe track spikes also contributing a 4% advantage? The midsoles seem the same as old spikes so how do they incorporate plate without the added midsole width?
thanks
Typically, if there is no plate, a super spike just has the special PEBAX foams that are seen in the road shoes.
Research shows that foams like ZoomX, PWRRUN PB, Lightstrike Pro, and others are where the energy return comes from, and a plate is just a way to stabilize the higher stack shoes. The plate also provides a certain stiffness to the shoe, even though the foams are very squishy.
The “feel” of a plate is something that many runners enjoy, and it has seemed to produce results when looking at the amount of world records set in plated spikes.
The standard implementation of a plate in a spike is to use the preexisting hard spike plate. All spikes have a forefoot plate that houses the spike pins, so most designs involve extending that spike plate through the whole length of the shoe. It is most apparent and visible on shoes like the Saucony Terminal VT, which has the entire plate on the outsole, and completely visible. Other spikes, like the Nike Dragonfly, have the full-length plate covered by another layer of foam.
Hope this helps!
BREAKING: Athing Mu running 800m in Gainesville on Friday at Holloway Pro Classic
Jakob chugs almost an entire 32-oz sports drink in 6 seconds during interview
I don't believe Jakob is clean. injured and runs 3:26.7 a bit later?
Can we talk about how crazy hard this Olympic marathon course is?
After Jakob's 3:26, Kerr's chance of winning in Paris has INCREASED