If we allow running records to count with the "shoes" why not skates, bikes, skis, etc.?

I'm sorry you can't pay $275 for a pair of shoes.

Stop.

This ship has sailed. Your argument is nonsensical and about 3 years late.

I see your point. I agree with you that all running records are void if the athlete wears shoes. I recognize only that one Ethiopian who won the Olympic marathon barefoot that one time.

Again... every running shoe in the history of competition has tried to offer a mechanical advantage.

- Super lightweight uppers with very rigid mid/out-soles (when compared to street shoes of the time) in order to make foot turn over faster and more efficient)

- Spikes (In order to grip better and give the runner a better platform to convert energy into forward momentum)

- Rubber outsoles (same as spikes but harder surfaces, even before they were for shock absorption)

- Tabi style split toe shoes some Japanese runners wore (To isolate the big toe and allow a better platform to move forward on)

- Addition of midsole (for shock absorption in combination with rubber outsoles)

- Waffle pattern outsoles (again, better grip for better forward momentum)

- Air bags (absorption and propelling forward)

- Shanks and speed boards (pre carbon plate_

- Varying foam laminations (to isolate rebound or absorption properties of said foams)

So where does it stop? Should only barefoot runners count here? Because literally any shoe, per your rant, is "an advantage"?

Don't forget to add moisture-wicking clothing to the argument. That too provides an advantage over runners wearing other materials. Races from now on should be run barefoot and naked to ensure no athlete holds an advantage over any other.

Man or Machine wrote:

The purity of running is that it simply measures how fast a human can propel him/herself. Things like roller skates, ice skates, and bicycles utilize the power of humans without any exogenous sources such as gasoline or electricity. However, their function is to alter human power and transmit it differently. Essentially, the new shoes perform the very same function. We know speed skaters can travel more than twice as fast as runners over a distance and we know men can cover a kilometer in about a minute on a bicycle. Yet, we would never think to classify such things as running records. A shoe that provide a mechanical advantage, however simple or complex, is a machine, something we have heretofore not recognized in the official running records.

Do like I do.

Run in the shoes that you feel offer no unfair advantage, and enjoy your asteriskless results.

Yeah yeah. Bare feet or no record. No running record should count unless there were no shoes involved. Shoes provide an advantage compared to bare feet.

Oh, hey there skippy, is your mommy not home to make you a snack and give you a hug? Look, we know, life is hard, so hard. There's all those mean people out there that won't just see things the way you think they should see things. It's so unfair. And I bet you spent a lot of time on the internet using the Google and watching YouTube videos, maybe even more than 10 minutes, and then people won't acknowledge how you know more than them. It's a hard life. But, when your mommy gets home, just get her to give you a great big hug and that should make you feel better.