Holy **** - The Vaporflys just broke the Hakone Ekiden. 4 teams break CRs, 1 guys run 58:35 half marathon pace for 21.4 km

A good personal take on the 4%

https://russellrunner.com/why-i-will-never-wear-performance-enhancing-shoes/

waltertompatton wrote:

asdfdsag wrote:

you really think everyone's going to run around on two foot stilts?

worst argument in this thread.

Those white straps around the foot was cheating. I graduated from high school in 1976 and did not have those advantages. Your point is poor though because I could have used tape. Also, many records have been set since Paavo Nurmi ran. Do you think tracks, medicine, and a myriad of other things have not been improved by then?

WE do not want 12-year-old girls running the 4-minute mile. It's common sense!

i have no idea what you just said. That was totally nonsensical.

a good read wrote:

A good personal take on the 4%

(link edited out)

It might have been a good take 3 years ago, but that ship has sailed. We now have too many results in both amateur and professional ranks to roll back the clock so to speak. 4%/Next% shoes are the new baseline, and anyone choosing not to use them is just handicapping themselves. I feel really bad for runners on a budget.

That isn't to say I think they are great for the sport. There should be new rules enacted to basically stop the shoe arms race where we are at, but I'll defer to the experts on what that means (stack height I guess?). It will never be an option to erase the last 4 years.

The full breakdown according to bunshun dot jp (I would post link but can't anymore) which I think pulled their information from @EKIDEN_News :

【2019年箱根駅伝のシューズ内訳】

・Nike　95（VaporFly 87＋other Nike 8）

・Asics　51

・Mizuno　24

・Adidas　39

・New Balance 21（ミムラボ model 15＋other New Balance 5＋三村 model 1）

【2020年箱根駅伝のシューズ内訳】

・Nike　177（VaporFly Next%）

・Mizuno　9（prototype 7＋other Mizuno 2）

・New Balance　9（prototype 1＋Fuel Cell 7＋ミムラボ model 1）

・Adidas　7（prototype 3＋other Adidas 4）

・Asics　7（prototype 3＋ソーティ4）

・デサント　1

*The New Balance "Fuel Cell" shoes that were in use this year appeared to all be 5280s to me.

** I left untranslated the brands and models that I am not familiar with. Here is a rough approximation as well as what google translate says they are:

ミムラボ - mimurabo/mimulab? (according to google translate: Mimlab)

三村 - no idea (according to google translate: Mimura)

ソーティ- soti? (according to google translate: Sortie)

デサント - desanto/desant? (according to google translate: Descente)

The interesting news here to me that I haven't really seen before is that Mizuno apparently has a prototype that may be intended as a VF competitor.

Next% Ekiden Pack

Yes please!

https://www.eastbay.com/product/nike-zoomx-vaporfly-next-mens/D4553300.html

glaukos wrote:

ミムラボ - mimurabo/mimulab? (according to google translate: Mimlab)

三村 - no idea (according to google translate: Mimura)

Mimura is the name of the guy who developed the model for NB. (I think he used to create many models for Asics before he moved to NB.) Mimlab stands for "Mimura's laboratory" so it's also a model developed by the same guy.

Les wrote:

Would you like a return to dirt tracks -- can't beat how "natural" they are? How about bamboo pole vault poles? Those were pretty "natural" too.

Yes!! these most absolutely should be brought back. Track was way more popular back in the day. Just go and look at the crowds who were watching Zatopek et al at some rinky dink meets - it was the golden age of the sport.

Sortie is ASICS

Great post. Really highlights the prevalence of Nike in the sport currently. Didn't Nike have a deal with onitsuka at one time to produce their shoes? My shoe history is fuzzy.

a good read wrote:

A good personal take on the 4%

https://russellrunner.com/why-i-will-never-wear-performance-enhancing-shoes/

"Every second was me", so was he running barefoot?

B Ribbon Sports wrote:

Didn't Nike have a deal with onitsuka at one time to produce their shoes? My shoe history is fuzzy.

Nike did not but Blue Ribbon Sports had the contract to sell them.