Are shoes with carbon plates technological doping? – 04/12/2024 – Marina Izidro

The other day I was on the bus, here in London, going to participate in a half marathon. A man came in and I couldn’t stop looking at the sneakers he was wearing: fluorescent yellow, huge, thick soles, looking like a speedboat. He was tall and thin and, a while ago, he could have been mistaken for a professional runner. But he was more of an amateur, like me, on public transport on the way to the race.

He was wearing the Nike Alphafly 3, which here costs £284.99 (R$1,800). This is one of the so-called “super sneakers”, which are no longer restricted to elite runners and have become a rage. In general terms, they have a carbon fiber plate in the midsole that helps save energy in propulsion and, therefore, performance. Made mainly for competitions, they give the sensation of having springs under your feet.

All marathon champions wear super sneakers. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge had pairs personalized for him in 2017, on his first attempt to run a marathon distance in less than 2 hours, in 2019, when he achieved the feat.

With other brands quickly developing their models, World Athletics, the international athletics federation, intervened. In 2020, it established rules for professional competitions: a sole with a maximum thickness of 40 mm and only one plate and a ban on the use of prototypes. Kipchoge’s 2019 sneaker is now banned for the elite.

At the Olympic race in Paris-2024, the athletes on the podium will certainly be wearing the latest model from their sponsors. But, in the marathon, there is a magical mark to be beaten: which human being will run under 2 hours in an official race (Kipchoge’s doesn’t count because it was a project designed to break the record)?

Super sneakers fuel the debate between those who think they will trivialize world records and those who argue that they help make the sport more attractive. I read a recent interview with British Paula Radcliffe, former marathon world record holder, saying that she is proud that her milestone was achieved with old-fashioned sneakers.

Other sports deal with similar dilemmas. Who remembers the tech swimsuits at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when athletes wearing Speedo’s LZR Racer won 98% of the medals in swimming? Models made of polyurethane, which helped with buoyancy and repel water, ended up being banned by the International Swimming Federation.

In professional sport, debate is fundamental and scientific studies and regulations are necessary.

In the case of us mortals, amateurs, I see no reason either to have an issue with board shoes or to think that they are salvation. Many people prefer “traditional” models or don’t want to invest so much in shoes that will have few uses, and that’s okay.

Next Sunday (21st), I’m going to run the London Marathon with super sneakers. I tested it in training and found it comfortable. Many participants will do the same — whether to try for personal records or to complete the herculean task of completing the 42km195m with less body pain.

Are they technological doping? In my opinion, no, because there are rules. If someone disagrees with them, that’s another story. There is no escaping technology.

Finally, there’s no point in good tennis if you don’t do your part. It can help, but you still need to run the entire distance, and that won’t happen without a lot of dedication and training.

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