The science of super shoes in the world of running

Anecdotal evidence of the effect that so-called “super shoes” are having on the world of running was seen at the 2019 California International Marathon in December 2019, where 72 women and 37 men ran under the U.S. Olympic marathon trials qualifying time. Two new studies confirm that super shoes such as the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next % and the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next % have lowered average times in the marathon for both men and women. The first study conducted by the Health and Science Department of World Athletics found that for the top 50 marathon times in a calendar year, elite women improved by an average of 2:10 and elite men by 1:03 once super shoes became widely available. Another study conducted by researchers at Cornell University analyzed results from 22 North American marathons from 2015 through 2019. Runners with personal bests of 2:24 or faster (men) or 2:45 or faster (women) improved their times in the marathon by an average of 2:57 for men and 2:10 for women. Of course, there could be other factors making runners faster, such as training groups, better pacing, or hydration and refueling methods, but it seems likely that super shoes are playing a significant role. With shoe companies now offering similar innovations in track spikes, super shoes are having a massive impact in the world of track and field as well.