The plate is the full length of the shoe. Not sure how you're imagining adding springs in a way that is more conducive to running. Keep in mind shoe weight matters quite a bit.
So if a faster shoe came along (Vapor Fly 5%) that didn’t use a plate, that would be okay? But if people preferred the Vapor Fly 4% over the faster shoe, they couldn’t use it because of the plate? . . .
The patent application Ross Tucker cites has close to zero applicability. Nike has been working on a different energy return “spring” shoe that probably would be illegal - the patent could be for those shoes. And people claim lots of things in patents, that doesn’t make the claims true. All shoes have some combination of firmness and cushioning, and shoes have used an embedded firm plate design before, and nobody complained.
What if a biomechanics lab proved the Vapor Fly 4% is not acting as a spring but makes runners more efficient through some other mechanism (firm underfoot feeling but lots of cushioning)?
This is funny to me because there's nothing magical about a metal spring - the sole of every running shoe is a "spring" in that it has a spring force that helps you run.
Mmmm, not quite. The ones you and I can buy have a single plate, and stack height of 36mm. The ban was for shoes (like the VaporFly prototype) with >40mm stack height and/or multiple plates. Not that this article clears the matter a whole lot, but there is more information (sorry, couldn't find a succinct article on the topic): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nike-vaporfly-running-sneaker-n...
I've used them (as a ~3:00 marathoner). They probably are good for a few minutes off your time. But what I noticed most was that the next day I said to my wife, "I don't think I ran hard enough." Oh, I ran hard enough, but the shoes do so much better at keeping the legs from getting trashed. Normally, I'd take the day off the day after a marathon. Instead, I said, "screw it, I'm going for a short run."
And the VaporFly has little to do with this proposition, other than using a spring-like device.
Who could have guessed - attaching springs to your feet makes you run faster. This is the kind of genius scientific insight that's going to ensure the long term survival of the human race.
If you think the plate is such a qualitative difference you may have fallen for Nike's marketing. The vapor fly 4% is very lightweight with an excellent cushioning to weight ratio thanks partly to Nike's new zoomx foam (which possibly provides superior energy return too). Shoes with plates in them have been around for a while and nobody complained - Mizuno shoes have plates like this as does the Nike zoom fly (different shoe), neither shoe is very high on the list or higher than you would expect based on its weight alone.
Look at the top shoes on the list - the Nike streak is a super lightweight shoe without Nike's new foam and it is second fastest. This should tell you weight alone is probably the most important factor. Two other highly rated shoes are Adidas shoes with boost foam, a type of foam similar to Nike's zoomx with a better cushioning to weight ratio. So the newest generation of foam probably provides a small benefit apart from the she's weight alone.
Runners capable of running a three hour marathon probably know the single most important factor in a running shoe for speed is weight. If they still choose to run in Saucony Guide or Hokas there's probably a good reason. What percent of runners who switched to the Saucony Guide were injured and used the shoes to recover, and what percent of runners in heavier shoes with more cushioning and stability features made it to the Starting line vs runners in Nike streaks? It's possible the heavier shoes provide protection from injury or greater comfort - there's a reason runners don't race marathons in track spikes.
I don't think the plate provides much benefit apart from weight and cushioning, my guess is that it is there for the feel of the shoe and without it the new foam would feel too mushy.
>despite the aid of a shoe that designers say will make runners 4 percent more efficient.
Seems like this could be a big factor. A shoe itself acting as a spring and helping the runner make bigger strides with the same effort. I won't be surprised if the official race wouldn't allow these "enhanced" shoes.
Basically no explanation of how it works or why it's better. I suspect the extra thick foam sole and embedded carbon plate are acting as springs that return some energy to the runner as the heel lifts on each step. Kind of similar to those running stilt things that are basically bent carbon fiber sheets working like a bow.
You want running shoes to be as light as possible. The book the sports gene went over how slender ankles (less weight on the feet) is a significant factor in running performance and potential. I don't think adding a motor and batteries to a runner's shoes will help them, unless they're looking to get more of a workout over the same period of time.
Running shoes are funny things. Due to the fact that they are basically a weight at the end of a long fulcrum, the heavier they are the slower you will go. Plus they are full of padding which messes up the natural springs you already have built into your feet.
It is not surprising someone invented a shoe that is somewhat lighter which makes it faster. I find the spring idea somewhat dubious but maybe they do give you a slight boost. My question would be how fast you can run in these vs with no shoes on at all.
Maybe the improvements in the weight of the shoe matter, not just the spikes. Reducing the weight is more than a matter of shaping the shoe - I think most improvements now come from using new materials. The weight is added at an extremity and has to be lifted every time you pull your foot up. I know this makes a noticeable difference for long distances, but I'm not sure about sprints, where you take a much smaller number of much more powerful steps.
> Unlike most running shoes, they have a carbon-fiber plate in the midsole, which stores and releases energy with each stride and is meant to act as a kind of slingshot, or catapult, to propel runners forward.
That's like literally every single midsole "technology" companies like Nike try to market their shoes with.
Your foot already has one of those catapult like things - it's called the Achilles. Just let it do it's job.
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