So the question is, if the improved times are only down to the spikes, how come there wasn't a massive rise in mega quick times in 2019? I heard rumours of certain athletes having the shoe in 2018, but was definitely very limited if it was there. By early/mid 2019 seems that most Nike athletes had them - e.g. looks like most the women's field in Pre 1500m was in them. So from 2017 through to 2019 was there an explosion in times with all these athletes jacked up on new boing boing shoes? Mmmmm nah. Not really. Is the dragonfly a good spike? Yup, it's probably the comfiest spike I've worn. Is it as fast relative to competition as the 4%/Next% was 2016 through 2018? Doesn't look like it. Anecdotally - I haven't been able to beat my 2017 PR since getting a pair despite similar or better training buildups.
Tbh JoBros, I think if you are looking at the big reasons behind the amazing performances in 2020, you can probably put spikes behind good pacing/lights pacing, no other competitions to peak for so you could peak for time rather than champs, and lack of drug testing (spoke with one athlete in the WA testing pool who was very concerned that they were tested 12+ times in 2019, but 0 times between February and August 2020 and only twice since then).
Men's 1500:
2017:
WL - Elijah Manangoi - 3:28.80
2 athletes sub 3:30
5 athletes sub 3:32
20th fastest - Marcin Lewandowski - 3:34.04
2018:
WL - Tim Cheruiyot - 3:28.4
2 runners sub 3:30
10 athletes sub 3:32.
20th fastest athlete - Ryan Gregson - 3:34.38
2019
WL - Cheruiyot - 3:28.77
1 sub 3:30
14 sub 3:32
20th fastest athlete - Vincent Kibet - 3:33.21
Comparison? WL stayed within half a second of each other across the three years, very similar number under 3:30, 20th fastest athletes just about all within a second, though 2019 with a deeper field under 3:32 thanks to nearly half of those 14 athletes setting SBs in the Doha final when Cheruiyot went beast mode.
Men's 5000m
2017:
WL - Muktar Edris - 12:55.23
0 athletes sub 12:50
3 athletes sub 13
20th fastest athlete - Stephen Kissa - 13:13.00
2018:
WL - Selemon Barega - 12:43.02
3 athletes sub 12:50
9 athletes sub 13
20th fastest athlete - Stephen Kissa - 13:10.93
2019:
WL - Telahun Bekele - 12:52.98
0 athletes sub 12:50
10 athletes sub 13
20th fastest athlete - Stanley Mburu - 13:05.21
Comparison? Again, a marginally deeper field in 2019 but slower at the business end. Certainly not an explosion in times. Kudos to Stephen Kissa for consistency.
Women's 1500m
2017:
WL - Sifan Hassan - 3:56.14
3 athletes sub 3:58
6 athletes sub 4:00
20th best athlete - Caster Semenya - 4:02.84
2018:
WL - Genzebe Dibaba - 3:56.68
4 athletes sub 3:58
9 athletes sub 4
20th fastest athlete - Brenda Martinez - 4:02.65
2019:
WL - Sifan Hassan - 3:51.95
7 athletes sub 3:58
13 sub 4:00
20th fastest athlete - Shannon Osika/Jessica Hull - 4:01.80
This is the first discipline where there is a real spike from 2018 to 2019 at the top end. However a bunch of those sub 3:58 and sub 4 times came from the Hassan going crazy and dragging the field in that wild Doha final. by the time we get to the 20th fastest athlete - we are marginally faster but not massively, just a second between all of 2017, 2018, and 2019. Note that Adidas athletes such as Gudaf Tseguy also saw massive jumps this year (3:54.38) beating many Nike women wearing Dragonflies (Muir, DeBues-Stafford, Chebet).
Women's 5000m
2017
WL - Hellen Obiri - 14:18.37
3 athletes sub 14:30
29 athletes sub 15:00
20th best athlete - Sentayehu Lewetegn - 14:53.44
2018
WL - Hellen Obiri - 14:21.75
6 athletes sub 14:30
12 athletes sub 15:00
20th best athlete - Meskerem Mamo - 15:05.21
2019
WL - Hellen Obiri - 14:20.36
7 athletes sub 14:30
31 athletes sub 15
20th best athlete - Karoline Grovdal - 14:51.66
World leads pretty consistent throughout, steady growth of sub 14:30, but nothing outrageous. 2018 seemed a real off year for sub 15 times but 2019 is similar enough to 2017.