steeplehero wrote:
Have you ever seen a Nike zoom unit? Far more responsive then Boost material. On that note, so is New Balance's N2 foam(nitrogen infused, very similar to Nike zoom). Brooks DNA and Saucony Powergrid are more about shock absorption than energy return. Energy return only makes sense if you have very minimal ground contact time(fast/elite runners) so the impact on their performance would be huge when using zoom air/boost material. So yes, it makes them faster. The average Joe or Jane- no.
No way in hell the IAAF or USATF goes against Adidas or Nike on this- too much at stake.
Really? I don't know much about Nike's latest, other than they call it "Lunarlon," and I know nothing about New Balance's N2. But if they are similar to Boost (I do think you are hugely exaggerating when you say the "Nike zoom unit" is "FAR more responsive than Boost Material--emphasis mine), it's not surprising. Any money-making innovation by any one of these companies will quickly be followed by the others. So, if Nike or New Balance or Brooks are your thing, Adidas won't have a lock on anything. I do agree with you that the IAAF and the USATF won't do anything against any of these big shoe companies, especially when the shoe companies can be counted on to copy one another in short order. And I'm certainly not brand-loyal myself IF I can get the same thing from Nike, New Balance or Brooks for a lower price point than I get Boost now from Adidas.