World Athletics Forms Special Team to Work with Nike and Adidas on 'Super Shoes'

Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum broke the Chicago Marathon world record wearing a pair of Nike “super sneakers.” Photo: Michael Reeves/Getty Images

World Athletics has vowed not to “stifle innovation” after forming a special assessment group to work with companies such as Nike and Adidas, whose new “super shoes” have revolutionized endurance running.

< p>In the fall, men's and women's marathon world records were erased in new running shoes with a carbon fiber coating and special foam, prompting World Athletics to write some kind of recognition into the record books of the new and improved era of running.

Since 2020, every world record from 5000 meters to the marathon has been broken in both men's and women's distance running. This achievement has likely peaked in recent months with the arrival of new ultra-lightweight prototypes that are not yet available to the general public.

The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, which retails at £400 and is recommended for optimal use in just one marathon, sold out within hours of briefly going on sale back in September after Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa took more than two minutes off the women's marathon world record. .

Kelvin Kiptum from Kenya has become the first person to run under 2 hours 1 minute in the Nike Alphafly 3, which will be released early 2024 and costs £284.99.

Tim Hutchings, Olympic distance finalist 5000 meters. in Los Angeles in 1984, said the «new era» ushering in the rise of supershoes should be officially recognized, arguing that global rankings had been devalued.

Swimming's world governing body intervened in 2009 after competitors wearing high-tech polyurethane suits broke nearly 200 world records in less than two years, but World Athletics is satisfied that its verification procedures ensure that the playing field is now fair.

The innovation rules were last updated in early 2022, after Nike introduced the first «super sneaker» in 2016, and all must meet a maximum stack height of 40mm on the road and 25mm on the track.

< p>Shoes must also be publicly available, although «evolving» shoes can be given a year-long special permit provided they meet guidelines and are verified by World Athletics, as was the case in 2023 with the latest versions from Adidas and Nike. /p>Coe: “I can’t be the president of a federation who is trying to stifle innovation”

Seb Coe, president of World Athletics and still holder of British records in the 800m and 1000m, believes there needs to be a constant balance. “We now have a team that evaluates the shoes,” he said. “We work closely with shoe manufacturers. We haven't done this before. We're much more involved in the research and development that they're thinking about.

“I can't sit here and be president of a federation that is trying to stifle innovation. I don't think this has ever worked in any society, in any civilization. But of course, as a regulator, we have to recognize that there is a balance that needs to be struck. This is the first time we are conducting an assessment procedure. It's not perfect, and it never will be. But I think it's right for now.»

Eilish McColgan, who already holds the British 5,000m and 10,000m records and is well on her way to breaking Paula Radcliffe's half and marathon records, recently tested Asics shoes in Japan.

“It's a huge benefit. from previous old-school racing shoes—even in terms of recovery,” McColgan said. “You don’t know the numbers, what the percentage differences actually are — all we know is that everyone has this opportunity. At least we have super shoes from every brand. For a long time, there was only one… and there was no doubt that these athletes were getting a huge boost over everyone else.»

Super sneakers have certainly sparked new interest outside of the sport, and Coe also revealed, that World Athletics is in talks with Netflix about renewing the documentary series, which will premiere next summer, with a focus on the world's best sprinters.

Netflix themselves said they were surprised, they were genuinely shocked by the universality, the global nature of our sports,” Coe said. “They sent film crews to all four corners of the globe.”