Unpopular opinion: If you're running a 6 minute mile pace, there's no point to wearing spikes

How much of a difference did you notice at each of those paces? I'm guessing it's going to be something like this:

4:00/mile pace in superspikes = 4:12/mile pace in trainers

5:00/mile pace in superspikes = 5:07/mile pace in trainers

6:00/mile pace in superspikes = 6:03/mile pace in trainers

7:00/mile pace in superspikes = 7:02/mile pace in trainers

So the benefit is still there, but it's marginal.

Stepping to the line feeling confident and mentally ready to do your best is an important part of competing, whether you are great at the sport or not. Why would anyone want to internalize the message that "I'm not good enough to justify dressing like a runner"? There's no benefit to tearing down your own confidence.

Why do you assume you heel strike at 6min/mile pace? I forefoot strike at any pace from 10 - 5 min/mile. If I get tired at the end of runs over 10 miles, I'll consciously switch to heel striking in order to use different muscles, but it feels awkward for me, even at slower paces.

Jesus. I’m not a sham hater but please ban him for life for this post.

they might not be top level runners, but if they enjoy running, why not give them the experience of running like a competitor? spikes have a "cool" factor to it. waking up 5-6 in the morning to make a carb filled breakfast, taking a ride/bus to a special event and wearing your special shoes for a race is quite the experience. as long as they don't break their bank on these shoes, i think the experience is worth the cost. if all you did was run a 5:37 mile in your high school career and wore lame ol' trainer shoes, you won't have much to talk to your grandkids about when you're a crippled old man.

and as for the people talking about how high school students will grow out of their spikes within a year, what i did was buy a pair of spikes that was half a size bigger than what would be perfect if it hugged your feet and then race with socks on. as your feet get bigger, remove your socks and your spikes will fit again.

Another unpopular opinion-

People buying things they don't really need is unnecessary consumption, which wastes energy and resources. It's reduce/reuse/recycle, and the most important one is to reduce what you use.

A better option for many runners that actually compete, race and care about their times is to get a pair of lightweight racing flats instead of spikes. Those flats would be good for racing on the track but they could also be used for racing on the roads. Buy two pairs of shoes instead of three.

You do you, cracky.

I don't know why this guy is getting downvoted. This might actually be true for a lot of runners who are racing around 6 minute pace (kids, old people, etc).

If the track is dry, why wouldn't I wear VaporFly Next% over a pair of spikes that are going to shred my calves? The VaporFlys are, at the paces I run these days (I am old) better than spikes on a dry track.

Wet tracks and cross country courses, well that is a different conversation, of course.

In case anyone's wondering, the track was completely dry during that meet.

1. Biomechanics don't vary by pace, independent of an individual. Some people may be sprinting right up on their toes at 6:00 mile pace.

2. In Australia at least (and lots of other parts of the world) The Vaporflys aren't legal on the track, so if someone runs a qualifying time for a given meet, it won't count in Vaporflys.

3. The Dragonflys are much faster than the Vaporflys, regardless of the conditions. It sounds like you aren't giving yourself time to adjust to the spikes (by doing small amounts of your workouts in them) before racing in them.

Dragonflies were designed to take down something-thousand meter WRs. With that in mind, your 4:40 mile or whatever you run isn’t worth their purchase and use either.

Why not just let people buy and use gear that make them feel good about themselves?

Dang. And I didn't even get to see how many dislikes I got.

What shoe will best fit and protect the feet, ankles and on up so that the runner can keep competing up until the 60+ running threads have meaning to them?

Isn't there currently an advertising campaign on TV funded by some wealthy donors that say's that Jesus wasn't a Sham hater?

Nobody runs a 6 hour marathon. Must be going wày faster to call it running.

yeah, I'd extend that down to even mid to low 5' pace if your on the track. its just that high schoolers often double in events like the 800 or mile along with the 3200 so you're not gonna ask them to have multiple pairs of racing shoes making spikes the obvious, more versatile option. maybe I'm a prisoner of my own experience but I just don't really need spikes to run 5+ minute pace. I'd say that in a lot of cases a nice pair of flats feel way better than spikes for a longer race on the track if the pace isn't going much faster than 5:00 on average.

Lemme take a wild guess your pace is 5:59

Weren't you ever a kid? High school kids should for sure embrace the technology of running if they want to, it's a big part of the fun. Of course someone has to fork over the bucks, hello parents.

As a high school freshman, getting issued a competition uniform was hugely exciting, as was racing in spikes. These are rites of passage.

Given the standard carbon racing shoe/flat was engineered specifically for road runners racing at 4:30 to 5:00 miles it makes complete sense that they would be perfectly suitable for those paces on the track, which has additional grip over the road, reducing the need for spikes.

There really isn't a ton of data comparing the two on the track, but most people running at the 5 min mile pace on youtube aren't noticing a huge difference. Faster than that, and spikes start to feel a bit better.