Page 22 - AT

A22 SPORTS
Friday 7 February 2020
Continued from page 17 dorphin Pro, which m ara-
Geoffrey Kamworor of Ke- thoner Jared Ward wrote
nya wore a version of Va- in a blog felt like the shoes
porfly when he won the were "pushing me forward
New York Marathon in No- into more of a half-mara-
vember. All three of the thon cadence."
men's marathon medalists Translation: It's fast.
at the 2016 Rio Olympics Joyciline Jepkosgei won
laced up a version of the the women's marathon in
shoe as well. New York wearing an Adi-
Vaporfly shoes have be- das Adizero Pro prototype,
come a common sight at which the company said in
marathons all over, eas- a statement conforms with
ily spotted with their neon the new rules. Adidas did
green or pink hue. not release details about
Many marathoners are the shoe's technical design.
gladly paying the $250 Hoka One One recently
price tag on Nike's website came out with the Carbon
— and sometimes more — X, which was described as
even as they wonder how a cushioned, carbon-plat-
much credit they can per- ed "speed machine" for
sonally take for improved a "propulsive, responsive
results. ride."
Bryan Lam, an amateur In this Oct. 12, 2019 photo, marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya, white vest, wearing Nike "We're all fans of the sport,"
AlphaFly prototype running shoe, and his first pacemaking team, wearing pink Nike Vaporfly
marathoner in Washington, shoes, leave the start line on Reichsbrucke during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge attempt to run a sub said Colin Ingram, director
D.C. said he spent $400 for two-hour marathon in Vienna, Austria. of product for Hoka One
a pair of StockX ahead of Associated Press One. "We're all for (technol-
the London Marathon last ogy advances) as long as
spring because the version be available on the open with exercise physiology of more than 40-millimeters, we're able to do it within
he wanted was sold out market by April 30 to be al- professor Andrew Kilding or that contains more than our own DNA when we de-
elsewhere. He ran the mar- lowed at the Tokyo Games. from Auckland University one plate. cide to jump into the foray."
athon in 2:59.30, seven min- Kyle Barnes, an exercise of Technology in New Zea- The Vaporfly controversy For the moment, though,
utes faster than his previous science assistant professor land. "You're at a disad- has drawn comparisons to Nike appears to hold a siz-
personal best, a result he at Grand Valley State Uni- vantage not being in those the advantages that swim- able lead over any rival.
called "insane." It helped versity in Michigan, con- shoes. ... Everything is hap- mers received wearing "I suspect they're three
him achieve his lifelong ducted a study around two pening so quick right now the Speedo LZR Racer, a years behind, minimum,
goal of qualifying for the years ago that compared in the shoe industry." full-body compression suit and so it'll take a long time
Boston Marathon this year. the Vaporfly shoes to Nike's World Athletics sought a that trapped air for buoy- before race results have
"I'd like to think that it was Zoom Matumbo 3 (a track middle ground in its recent ancy and improved perfor- any real integrity in a com-
because of all of my train- spike) and Adidas Adizero decision, making clear that mance, leading to a slew of petitive sense," sports scien-
ing for the London Mara- world records. Swimming's tist Ross Tucker wrote in an
thon but I do think the world governing body later email. "It turned athletes
shoes had something to banned all body-length from 2:06 to 2:04. It decid-
do with my performance," swimwear. ed results. It changed the
Lam said. "It's definitely not But the minimal technol- relationship between physi-
a level playing field when ogy involved in running has ological input and perfor-
those who can afford the evolved only gradually, mance outputs."
shoes have that type of ad- said Burns. The last major Burns said a new era of ad-
vantage." changes, he said, came in vanced shoe technology
What differentiates the the 1960s and '70s, when could potentially disrupt
Vaporfly is a foam midsole shoe manufacturers de- the prevailing sponsorship
that is lighter and less dense veloped EVA-based foam model in running, in which
than others, allowing for ex- midsoles and all-weather shoe companies generally
tra cushioning without add- tracks began replacing serve as the main sponsors
ing weight. The shoe also cinder tracks. of athletes. Burns said more
has a carbon-fiber plate N ike also is working on a athletes may look beyond
that acts like a lever to re- fast shoe for the 100 meters. shoe companies if a con-
duce the work at the ankle. In this Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 photo, Nike’s Air Zoom Alphafly It's called the Nike Air Zoom tract forces them to wear
Independent and compa- Next% running shoe is displayed at the Nike 2020 Forum in New Viperfly and as of now will a shoe that puts them at a
ny-sponsored studies have York. not be at the Olympics be- competitive disadvantage.
found that the shoe gives Associated Press cause its design does not "If you have guys bringing
runners a 4% edge in en- meet the new World Athlet- knives to a gunfight, it's not
ergy efficiency. Adios 3. His findings showed wearing the Vaporfly will ics regulations. Nike is look- a good look for the knife
The Air Zoom Alphafly about 4.2% more efficiency not constitute cheating. ing at ways to adjust the sponsors," Burns said.
Next% steps it up a notch by wearing the Vaporfly But in tightening its rules, shoe so that it will comply American distance runner
with two "air pods" in the model. the Monaco-based orga- with regulations, accord- Roberta Groner doesn't
sole for extra cushioning. Bottom line: Barnes estimat- nization signaled a new era ing to a person familiar with have a shoe deal and trains
Both the Vaporfly and the ed that slipping into the Va- of vigilance. the discussion. The person in a variety of brands, in-
Alphafly meet a World Ath- porfly could potentially trim The governing body said an spoke on condition of ano- cluding a version of the Va-
letic rule that limits the sole several minutes off a pro- expert working group will nymity of the ongoing pro- porfly. She could be wear-
thickness to no more than fessional's time and in the be created to assess new cess since it's not public. ing that model at the U.S.
40 millimeters. The Alphafly vicinity of 10 minutes for, shoes entering the mar- Other companies are also Olympic marathon trials in
will be available for sale say, a 4-hour marathoner. ket and placed a morato- pushing the boundaries of Atlanta later this month.
to Nike members starting "It is a form of technology rium on certain criteria for shoe technology. "I don't get into the sci-
Feb. 29, meaning it meets doping," said Barnes, who shoes. It also banned any Saucony has a carbon- ence," Groner said. "I just
a new rule that shoes must co-authored the study shoe with a sole thickness plated shoe called the En- go with how I feel."q