How come most elite runners wear shoes with 10mm drop?

There are two schools of thought. One is that low drop aids in natural running which is more efecciant. The other is that a higher drop helps support the calves and achilles which allows you to run further with less fatgiue. The only one that's been proven in practice is that all fast runners wear high drop.

they can do it because they are elites, and elites can do whatever they want. sometimes the elites run in blue jeans in their 10mm drop shoes. And sometimes the elites run next to each other on the trails. Those darn mf'ers just do whatever suits their fancy.

Pease , out my brother from another mother!!

hear is the deel my man..... wrote:

they can do it because they are elites, and elites can do whatever they want. sometimes the elites run in blue jeans in their 10mm drop shoes. And sometimes the elites run next to each other on the trails. Those darn mf'ers just do whatever suits their fancy.

Pease , out my brother from another mother!!

this is stupid. They are running to win the race. they do like 2 marathons a year this isn't yuki in a panda suit. get a grip.

Galen Rupp Official Account wrote:

There are two schools of thought. One is that low drop aids in natural running which is more efecciant. The other is that a higher drop helps support the calves and achilles which allows you to run further with less fatgiue. The only one that's been proven in practice is that all fast runners wear high drop.

Meb and other Skechers athletes 4 mm. Hoka athletes (Llano, Kellyn Taylor, Laura Kleppin, Cam Levins, Kara Goucher...) 4-5 mm.

10 mm for Nike and Adidas athletes because it's the same as what they train in, as I've said before.

Oops, meant to put Kara under Skechers.

the heels save the calf some pounding. the benefit of low heel drop, it does improve form in a sense, theyd be better for sprint workouts, manueverability. The step is more stable without a heel.This is why you dont wear running shoes while lifting ideally, but unless youre trying to catch someone runing away short term, not win a long distance race, the bounce you get from a shoe is preferable even if it could make you over stride potentially.

10mm is ideal for running fast and cutting down on injuries. 4mm more injuries and no faster. 15mm slightly slower but fewer injuries.

That's cool and all but sage has specifically said that the hokas have played a role in causing more heel strikage for him. He also said to have a low-cushion brooks shoe in an early video so it's not like it has anything to do with the hokas.

Don’t be so quick to refute this response!This is a very logical and highly relatable statement. As baffling as it may sound I too deal with this same issue. Running 7:30/mi. or slower creates the problem where overly sloppy form starts. If I’m running 7:00-7:30/mi. the form is decent but could be better by all means. BUT, once I get down to anything below 7:00/mi. (Usually 6:00/mi. for tempo runs) my form completely switches up and is at its smoothest. There’s no specific reasoning behind it, that’s just how it is. I’m sure it has to do with foot position and cadence when I’m going much faster but it’s almost like my body doesn’t know how to handle the heel-to-tie offset at slower speeds. The faster you go, the more natural ones form becomes (at least that’s what my experience has taught me).

And I’m not just some random fun-runner, I run for my college. I’m not just saying all of this to agree with another user in an attempt to sound knowledgeable.

I was all in on the low drop idea a few years back. As a primarily trail runner at the time, it made absolute sense to have a low drop and low stack height for improved proprioception; fell running in particular benefits from that, and I still use something in the region of 4-6mm for that. Coming back to roads more seriously though though, and in particular the marathon, I’ve changed my mind a bit. Given the amount of research Nike sunk into Breaking2, if 10mm wasn’t the optimal drop, surely they wouldn’t have made the 4% with that heel? Which is not to say that other drops aren’t optimal in other situations but, to my mind, it’s a pretty strong argument for road marathons.

Most miles run by elite athletes are in 10 oz. 10mm drop shoes.

hitmonlee wrote:

The step is more stable without a heel.This is why you dont wear running shoes while lifting ideally,

Lifting shoes:

zzzz wrote:

I'm feeling awkward going even 7-9 minute miles, while I can knock off 4-5 minute pace smoothly in 0-5 mm shoes.

You turd. NO WAY you run 4 min pace in zero drops but feel awkward running 9 min pace in 10mm.

My guess is you jumped on the minimalist bandwagon to try and look cool at work in your five fingers. You probably have a hard time running 9 min pace in any shoe.

I tried the low drop/zero drop shoes for a few stints. They messed up my hips and back every time. Then I'd go back to 8-10mm heeled shoes, and the problems went away. I think I've run too much and for too long in 6-10mm heeled shoes that my gait is "fixed". These shoe companies like Altra and Hoka are cornering themselves by not offering a greater variety. I wanted to believe I could adapt to less heel, but it seems like a lost cause at this point.

How is a 10 mm or other "set" drop possibly the ideal drop for fast running for all elites? This makes no sense, because 10 mm creates a much steeper drop angle on a size 6 woman's foot than a size 12 man's foot. I'd more easily buy into an ideal drop angle than drop height.

I do think there is something beneficial to having a drop of some amount, as it creates a wedge under the foot that I can see giving a more efficient push-off, almost a "starting block"-like effect.

Haven't read through the thread yet, but here is my 0.02:

Racing flats FTW, do all your mileage from easy runs, recovery runs, easy jogging, intervals, tempo runs to long runs in light weight, very minimal to non-existent heel drop.

Sand Dunes wrote:

Haven't read through the thread yet, but here is my 0.02:

Racing flats FTW, do all your mileage from easy runs, recovery runs, easy jogging, intervals, tempo runs to long runs in light weight, very minimal to non-existent heel drop.

This is a prescription for serious injury. You aren't very fast are you Sand Dude.

8-10mm for easy/long runs, 4-6mm for tempo/road racing, spikes for 3k race pace or faster speed work.

Sand Dunes wrote:

Haven't read through the thread yet, but here is my 0.02:

Racing flats FTW, do all your mileage from easy runs, recovery runs, easy jogging, intervals, tempo runs to long runs in light weight, very minimal to non-existent heel drop.

I injured my posterior tibialis training in flats so i don't recommend this.

Predictor wrote:

10mm is ideal for running fast and cutting down on injuries. 4mm more injuries and no faster. 15mm slightly slower but fewer injuries.