Continuing the fantasy race and shoe revamp:
- Similar to how cyclists have climbers, break specialists, all-arounders, you'd have the break specialists that choose a lower percentage shoe to take flyers, you'd have the "springers" using the 15% shoes, you'd have the all-arounders that can win with either shoe strategy.
- You could have records for each shoe class, which would increase interest and discussion. The top class, whatever it becomes at the time, say 15%, would be the "Unlimited" class for that era. Though they would start a long ways back, their "chip time" could still set class records. That would encourage further innovation from manufacturers to set the "Unlimited" class record of 1:49:xx for the marathon or whatever it might be.
- Once you thought the last barrier had been broken with 2:00 and the excitement is gone forever for the general public? Nope, now you have the sub-1:50 barrier. Or the sub-2:10, then sub-2:05 for women.
- An additional benefit of this would be the ability to go back and put an asterisk to already set WRs and say that "This is considered the 4% class record", and Kimetto's record the "0% class record", and so on, at least until they are broken again
- Once you allow different classes of shoes, you no longer get complaints that you are limiting innovation. Yet you can also designate specific races a 0% race or an "Unlimited" race, so not every race has to have the staggered start. Then you designate a race like the Olympics a 0% class race (or keep the staggered start). This would be like cross country skiing has a classic and freestyle. Or swimming has different strokes. Not every race has to have a staggered start.