Will Nike Alpha Fly still be mass produced for sale to recreational runners?

Come on, you don't want the alphaFLY for "injury prevention." That's like saying you watch porn for "education."

Good question. I can see the IAAF enforcing this pretty well but unless they get a gentleman’s agreement from all the shoe manufacturers it’s going to be an interesting scene at the sharp end of local amateur races

Yes, they'll just change them slightly so they comply.

Why don't they just release a race compliant version and a non-compliant version for people who aren't taking part in any professional races? The marketing they have received is astronomical, they could market them as "The shoes so effective they were banned". I personally wouldn't hesitate to get myself a pair.

They can check the depth visually but how will they verify what's inside each shoe without taking them off the athletes then literally cutting them in half after every race is over?

Glendower wrote:

They can check the depth visually but how will they verify what's inside each shoe without taking them off the athletes then literally cutting them in half after every race is over?

The same way the airport finds out what's in your shoes without cutting them open. Are you going to ask a third time now?

3D scanners at every professional race for every runner's shoes is going to be quite resource intensive.

Every municipal building, dentist, doctor, and hospital in America has one. I'm sure you could rent the use of one for 15 minutes for the right price, or you could rent a mobile x-ray.

Take the Boston Marathon for example, right at the finish line the Hynes Convention Center and the Prudential Center Observatory have x-rays that will otherwise be sitting idle on race day.

At smaller races, a visual inspection should suffice. It can probably be safely assumed that semi-pro runners don't have the resources to develop and manufacture a custom shoe with hidden carbon plates that actually provides an advantage. USATF could also have random inspections at some of these smaller races to make sure racers are complying.

Glendower wrote:

3D scanners at every professional race for every runner's shoes is going to be quite resource intensive.

Also, it's x-ray, a very common device, not a 3D scanner. A 3D scanner would just make a model of the outside of the shoe, something you can already see with your eyes.

There never has been, and never will be, a shoe that prevents injury. Injuries are caused by a runner being to stupid to know when they’re pushing too hard. That remains the case for barefooters and will be the case for the Alphafly.

xray wrote:

Every municipal building, dentist, doctor, and hospital in America has one. I'm sure you could rent the use of one for 15 minutes for the right price, or you could rent a mobile x-ray.

Take the Boston Marathon for example, right at the finish line the Hynes Convention Center and the Prudential Center Observatory have x-rays that will otherwise be sitting idle on race day.

At smaller races, a visual inspection should suffice. It can probably be safely assumed that semi-pro runners don't have the resources to develop and manufacture a custom shoe with hidden carbon plates that actually provides an advantage. USATF could also have random inspections at some of these smaller races to make sure racers are complying.

Huh? Completely false- on all accounts.

Glendower wrote:

Why don't they just release a race compliant version and a non-compliant version for people who aren't taking part in any professional races? The marketing they have received is astronomical, they could market them as "The shoes so effective they were banned". I personally wouldn't hesitate to get myself a pair.

Wearing banned shoes to win a local 5k fun run would be really lame.

LoneStarXC wrote:

Wearing banned shoes to win a local 5k fun run would be really lame.

True story. At this golf course there was a guy who sandbagged his handicap and played with Ping square grooves after they were banned. He won a lot of prizes, but he was mocked by everyone at the club and no one would play with him. Always golfed alone.

Anyone wearing Alphafly 8%s now that they are banned will be looked down upon and not respected.

I don't think we can assume that the AlphaFly is banned. If it contains just one plate, as the production models seem to, and the stack height is brought to around 40mm (it can be slightly higher in larger sizes), it's legal.

Boing boing wins again, suckas.

maybe this wrote:

I don't think we can assume that the AlphaFly is banned. If it contains just one plate, as the production models seem to, and the stack height is brought to around 40mm (it can be slightly higher in larger sizes), it's legal.

Boing boing wins again, suckas.

In it's current form at 50mm, it's not allowed. Past records set in the Alphafly are illegimate IMO. Ineos challenge is total bogus now. CIM 2018 runners with Alphafly prototypes? Bogus.

If they trim the stack height, call it something else, because it is not the same shoe. Alphafly 2.0?

Betafly

I hope so. I'll buy a pair for sure.

old hobby jogging fart wrote:

Betafly

Well done.

The Alphafly apparently has 2-3 plates, hence the stack height required to fit them all in there with enough foam between them.