Another Look at Nike’s Vapourfly 'Supershoes' | Find Your Stride | Edinburgh Podiatrist

Introduction

Authors Geoffrey Burns and Nicholas Tam published their paper ‘Is it the shoes? A simple proposal for regulating footwear in road running’ in 2020. Let's take a look at their suggestions five years on as the use of 'supershoes' such Nike's Vaporfly has become the norm. The release of Nike's Vaporfly running shoes stirred a significant conversation across the athletics community, thanks to their revolutionary technology that Nike claimed would enhance running performance during road races by 4%. It turned out that Nike were not bluffing, in 2018 runners wearing the shoes broke world records over 100km, marathon, half-marathon and 15km distances. This blog post delves into the advantages these shoes provide, and the discussion surrounding the need for regulatory standards in competitive footwear put forward by Burns and Tam (2020)

The Paper:

Title: "Is it the shoes? A simple proposal for regulating footwear in road running"

Authors: Geoffrey T Burns¹, Nicholas Tam²

Published in: British Journal of Sports Medicine, April 2020, Volume 54, No. 8

DOI: [10.1136/bjsports-2018-100480](https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-100480)

Nike's first Vaporfly was released in 2017

Technological Advancements

Burns and Tam begin by outlining how technological advancements in running shoes have contributed to substantial improvements in performance. Specifically, the Nike Vaporfly 4% is highlighted for its design features that enhance running economy, which can result in faster race times without increasing the physiological effort required from the athlete. These features include:

• A full-length carbon-fiber plate embedded in the shoe

• A unique midsole material known as Pebax, which is lighter and more resilient than conventional materials

• An increased midsole thickness which extends the effective leg length of the runner.

The Need for Regulation

The authors argued that while such innovations did not violate the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) (now known as World Athletics) rules at the time, they create an uneven playing field and blur the lines between physiological and technological performance. The paper drew attention to the potential for the sport to devolve into an "arms race" of increasingly complex shoe designs, necessitating the need for regulations to foster fairness.

Proposed Regulatory Framework

To address these concerns, the authors proposed a straightforward regulatory framework centred on a maximal midsole thickness for competition shoes. This would serve as a singular standard that could maintain the competitive integrity of road racing. Similar to existing regulations for other athletic events, such as high jump and long jump, the proposed regulation aimed to prevent future footwear developments from detracting from athletic competition.

Conclusion

Burns and Tam's paper presents a compelling argument for the regulation of running shoes to uphold the spirit of fair competition in athletics. By advocating for a simple, enforceable standard regarding midsole thickness, the authors provided a practical solution to the complexities introduced by technological advancements in sports equipment. This proposal not only seeks to protect the integrity of competitive running but also ensures that footwear remains a mere accessory to the physiological capabilities of athletes rather than a replacement. Following the proposals by Burns and Tam (2020) World Athletics announced the creation of an 'Athletic Shoe Availability Scheme' for unsponsored elite athletes and new maximum sole heights for spikes. The press release from World Athletics and the full rules can be found here.

Find Your Stride!