There are high school sophomores running sub 9 and sub 4:10, I don't care what shoes they're wearing, people are running way faster than a decade or more ago, more than any shoe improvement can account for. More people are doing top level training at earlier ages, and it's leading to better overall results at every age. The spikes have been out for 4 years, road shoe for 8 years, yet people are still getting faster THIS year. And they will keep getting faster several years from now.
I guess all the pansy ass oldheads couldn’t push it like kids today, too content to tactically jog
Both of these takes are terrible.
Track isn't "ruined" just because everyone is running fast. Track is fun and awesome and I love watching it. Just because the times are mechanically added by the fast tracks and super shoes (and training in super shoes) doesn't mean the sport is somehow less interesting. It seems to be an awesome product right now. I am amped for Pre and for the Oly. Trials! Long live track!
The second take is just as bad! Runners in the 20th century were trying to run as fast as possible. There is nothing wrong with admitting that the training and the technology of 40 years ago is worse than it is today. The amazing part is that some runners from back then would still be dominant today: Seb Coe, Jim Ryun, Joaquim Cruz, etc.
Somehow you guys were both wrong.
Despite how aggressive I came off I love all those old classic runners, just wanted to stir this guy up for dissing our generation. Of course the tech is better, but it was better from 1960 to 1980 and so on. It's just natural changes.