Are Nike’s Vaporfly Running Shoes Too Good?

Are Nike’s(ˈnīkē) Vaporfly(ˈvāpər) Running Shoes Too Good?

By Eben(e) Novy-Williams(ˈwilyəmz)

The sneaker(ˈsnēkər) may have helped break the two-hour marathon(ˈmarəˌTHän) barrier(ˈbarēər), but it could also bring additional scrutiny(ˈskro͞otn-ē) from the IAAF.

Last month, elite(āˈlēt,əˈlēt) marathoner Eliud(əlīy) Kipchoge ran 26.2 miles(mīl) in less than two hours, breaking a barrier some thought impossible. The following day, fellow Kenyan(ˈkēnyən, ˈkenyən) Brigid Kosgei shattered(ˈSHadərd) the women’s marathon record(ˈrekərd). The common thread for both performances: the shoes on their feet. Kipchoge was running in a prototype(ˈprōdəˌtīp) featuring Nike Inc.’s(inˈkôrpəˌrādəd) latest Vaporfly technology. Kosgei was wearing an earlier version of the same shoe, which retails(ˈrēˌtāl) for $250.

Their runs reignited(ˌrē-igˈnīt) a debate(dəˈbāt) that’s simmered(ˈsimər) since Nike unveiled(ˌənˈvāl) this class of shoes in 2017. The sneakers have a carbon(ˈkärbən) fiber(ˈfībər) plate(plāt), lightweight(ˈlītˌwāt) foam(fōm), and a stiff(stif) forefoot(ˈfôrˌfo͝ot) that rocks you forward. Nike says they’re proven to decrease(dəˈkrēs) effort by at least 4%, helping you run faster on the road and recover quicker afterward. “Out of the box, you are 4% better,” says Matt Nurse(nərs), vice(vīs,ˈvīsē,ˈvīsə) president(ˈprez(ə)dənt,ˈprezəˌdent) of the Nike Explore(ikˈsplôr) Team Sport Research Lab. “No question. We tested that across ranges of speed and ability.”

Now, as other sneaker companies race(rās) to produce high-end shoes with similar benefits, critics(ˈkridik) worry that Nike has tipped(tip) distance running’s competitive(kəmˈpedədiv) balance on the eve(ēv) of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The sport’s governing(ˈgəvərn) body is exploring whether to rein(rān) in athletic goods companies or let them run wild, a decision that could usher(ˈəSHər) in an arms race(rās) for high-tech sneakers. “This is not a little advancement(ədˈvansmənt) in technology, this is a completely different animal,” says Ryan(ˈrīən) Hall, a retired(rəˈtī(ə)rd) U.S. distance runner. “Physically(ˈfizik(ə)lē) speaking, it’s so hard for elite(āˈlēt,əˈlēt) runners to take one minute off their marathon time. To just put on a pair of shoes and be able to run two minutes quicker, that’s mind-blowing(blō).”

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-14/nike-s-vaporfly-tests-the-boundaries-of-the-running-shoe