I am aware that the IAAF is reviewing whether or not these shoes give any unfair advantage in running economy, and if so how much. I am not going to try to persuade you that these shoes do not give any advantage in running economy, because it has already been proven in various third-party studies that these shoes improve running economy by about 4% when compared to other marathon shoes (Nike Zoom Streak 6 and adidas adizero Adios BOOST 2). These shoes comply with all current rules and regulations and any attempt to “ban” these shoes would be unwarranted and would be unsuccessful.
The main claim by anti-vaporfly advocates is that these shoes give an unfair advantage. Although these shoes are significantly more efficient to run in than other running shoes, they provide no unfair advantage. The advantage would be unfair if these shoes were a prototype not available to the public, but Nike will sell the Vaporfly 4%, Vaporfly 4% Flyknit, and the Vaporfly Next% to anyone who will pay for them. To be detailed in the technology of these shoes, they are made up of ultra-responsive “ZoomX” foam which sits on top and below a full length carbon-fiber plate giving the shoe a both stiff, and bouncy response, which significantly improves running economy over other shoes.
There is a specific rule that the IAAF upholds which is that equipment (shoes included) may not give any “boost” to the athlete. The Nike Vaporfly shoes do not give any boost to runners, but they instead are designed in such a way that they are super efficient and work with a runners form to help them propel themselves in the most efficient way possible. The difference between the Nike Vaporfly and any other running shoe is not unfair. The Nike Vaporfly takes the idea of a running shoe, and does not change it, but rather executes it significantly better than other shoes from other companies.
One group of people who are complaining about the new found success of runners who wear Nike Vaporfly shoes are runners, specifically marathoners, who are sponsored by other companies and required to race in those companies shoes. These athletes are rightfully frustrated because the athletes wearing the Nike shoes, as previously stated, are getting a significant advantage in running efficiency as compared to other companies running shoes. However, this will not be the case for much longer. Hoka One-One, a direct competitor to Nike, came out recently with the “Carbon X”, which features a similar design to the Nike Vaporfly with a full length carbon plate sandwiched between two layers of thick and responsive foam. Additionally, Saucony is doing extensive research into their next line of marathoning shoes which use a similar design as well.
Another argument trying to prove that the Nike Vaporfly gives an unfair advantage compares the Nike Vaporfly to the Speedo LZR racer. The Speedo LZR racer decreased viscous drag by an enormous 24% compared to the previous generation Speedo swimsuit. The swimsuit was only available to certain athletes and therefore was classified as a prototype, which the Nike Vaporfly shoes are not. The Speedo LZR came out just before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was enormously overpowering. At the Beijing Olympics, the LZR was worn by 98% of winners, and resulted in 13 world records which were eventually redacted. The LZR was incomparable to any other swimsuit, broke multiple rules, and was a prototype not available for sale. The Nike Vaporfly is innovative, but breaks no current rules, and is not nearly as dominant as the Speedo LZR. Just last weekend, Joyciline Jepkosgei won the New York City marathon wearing a pair of Adidas Adizero ADIOS 5 shoes which have no carbon fiber plate or any other significant innovation.
In conclusion, not only are the Nike Vaporfly shoes acceptable with current IAAF rules and regulations, but they are not as advantageous as some would like to believe, and in any case could be good for the sport in the long run. With other companies following in Nike’s footsteps, footwear technology looks poised to continue to improve. Athletes have been breaking world records, taking advantage of new technology in sport, as athletes always have, and this is bringing the sport of marathoning to the forefront of sports and the news in general. Just a couple of weeks ago, marathoner Eliud Kipchoge broke 2 hours in the marathon, albeit on a closed course in prototype shoes which rendered his effort ineligible for a world record. Nonetheless, this brought an enormous amount of publicity to the sport of marathoning, prompting reactions from people such as former President Barack Obama and current Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. With similar technology poised to expand to both other running events and other shoe companies, these shoes look to be a great way to create exposure and excitement around running in general.