Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020 | Page 46

OUT OF
THE By BOX
Norrie Williamson
ARE SHOES
DISTORTING PERFORMANCE?
There is no question that shoe technology took a major stride forward in the last few years, but has it been a fair stride
length? Does it give some an unfair advantage? If so, then it destroys the very cornerstone of all athletics competition,
(hu)man vs (hu)man competition.
Eliud Kipchoge shatters the two-hour barrier for
the marathon distance… but the shoes he used
to do it remain controversial
U
ntil circa 1970, running shoes were barefoot,
sandal type, or more recent canvas plimsoles.
The technological changes in the 70s initially
added more cushioning, then with the introduction
of mass jogging and hence change of runner/ jogger
demographics, shoes enforcing a change of style that
required more ‘control’ of the natural foot movement.
Through the ensuing years the development of
materials improved cushioning and upper materials,
but until the announcement of attempts to break
a two-hour marathon, the fact is that most shoes
sacrificed and traded ideal running style for some
form of protection.
The recent Sub-2 projects – not only by Nike, but
also adidas, who announced they were attempting
it, but then the project appears to have faded away
– saw shoe technologists rethink the shoe, and how
to advance running efficiency. Thus the carbon fibre
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plate entered the picture. Actually, such plates had
been used for years, but initially as a means to control
the ‘torsional’ effect of a heel-to-toe strike, then by
trying to propel the runner forward by attempting to
augment normal toe-off with a ‘kick-forward’ effect.
One of the challenges with this was that the shoe was
not deep enough to create an ‘anchor’ for the plate to
be able to hold the energy.
Other shoes attempted to get propulsion by shaping
the forefoot, such that if a runner leant forward, which
is a natural position for a runner, they would roll
forward. To create that curve, the forefoot of the shoe
had to be thicker. Therefore, by combining the two
aspects, and by shaping a thinner plate, the greater
depth of the midsole could be used as an anchor
during the stance phase of running, which in turn
allowed the technicians, in layman’s terms, to provide
that energy release to a stride.
ISSUE 129 APRIL 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Changing Running Style
Contrary to what many runners believe, running is
a backward motion. In an ideal style, we land just
slightly ahead of our centre of gravity, on the ball of
the foot, and push/drive backwards into the ground
to push the body forward. (Sure, sprinters stretch
out, but that’s why they only have spikes in the front
of their shoes, to pull forward and then push back!)
Advancing this drive back, the technicians then
shaped the front of the shoe and made it rigid so that
there was no option but to land in a forward leaning
position. This activates the abdominal core and
places the runner in a ‘power’ position, ready to drive
backwards.
In a simplified format, together with major
advancement in the energy return and resilience of the
midsole material, it is this combination of technology
that lies behind the success of the new generation of