Usually the consensus on here is that runners with prosthetics should not be allowed to compete against non-prosthetic runners. This is due to the energy return of the prosthetic. I personally am against prosthetic runners competing against non-prosthetic runners but I also think vaporflys should be banned due to the same concept. It is inconsistent to say that vaporflys %s should be allowed while also saying that prosthetic runners should not be allowed.
The prosthetic runners are allowed, they just have a limit on the size of blades used.
I'm not a % hater. But I agree with the idea that there should ultimately be a limit on stack height, as that's essentially where physics will limit any advantage a shoe can provide (only so much kinetic energy can be reasonably stored in a given amount of space).
Not sure what that limit should be (whatever current maximalist shoes are using), but if your passive tech fits within it then it's allowed. That seems to be the main deal with the 4% and Next% anyways, they've put the maximum amount of pliable, springy foam under the heel as possible while controlling the slop (is there any running shoe with a higher peak stack height?)
if vapping is allowed, then blades are allowed, if dudes in womens races are allowed, then EPO should be legal....aint that right gary?
Learn some physics. Blade runners don't get an advantage from bouncing any higher than able-bodied runners; in fact, if you bounce higher, your cadence will get lower and you'll most likely be slower. They merely simulate ordinary stretch reflexes.
Their advantage is from the fact that a blade weighs a lot less than a lower leg does, greatly reducing the amount of energy needed to maintain a running cadence.
Bad Wigins wrote:
Learn some physics. Blade runners don't get an advantage from bouncing any higher than able-bodied runners; in fact, if you bounce higher, your cadence will get lower and you'll most likely be slower. They merely simulate ordinary stretch reflexes.
Their advantage is from the fact that a blade weighs a lot less than a lower leg does, greatly reducing the amount of energy needed to maintain a running cadence.
Nobody said blades let you "bounce higher."
It's not just that the blade is lighter. It's also that the blade is totally passive. You're replacing metabolically costly tissue that has to contract, consuming ATP and oxygen, with a piece of synthetic material that will return 99% of what's put into it and can store a huge amount of energy. The calves only return a small portion of the energy needed for running from the stretch shortening cycle.