Design of running shoes

Running shoes are typically designed to cover the latest fad, whatever that might be.

It's all about the money.

More people heel strike, so shoes get designed for them. Shoes don't really get designed for the serious runner, they're designed for the majority of people that heel strike and don't care. Most racing flats are low drop because they only attract the serious runners that land on their midfoot.

Additionally, a lot of people are so used to shoes with a high drop that their Achilles are physically shorter. That's why people usually have tight calves running in spikes or flats for the first time in a while. People already complain about shoes getting updated, so changing the drop would make even a lot of serious runners mad.

I know that for Vaporflies, Nike went high drop after they realized that everyone heel strikes at some point during a marathon. Even elites get tired, and when they get tired the thicker foam on the heel saves them from being even more beat up.

thanks for an interesting new knowledge... this makes sense.