In just under 9 weeks I have my first full Ironman in Austria. It’s a flat run course.
I am not a fast runner. My easy runs are about 10 minutes per mile (about 6-ish minutes per km)
I will be doing a run/walk on the course, with 9 minutes of running and then 1 minute of walking.
I believe I am a heel striker
Carbon Shoes - Mixed Advice Online
I have read conflicting things about carbon plated shoes. Some say they can actually cause a lot of discomfort and don’t perform well if running long and slow (or walking). Where as others say they help save your legs and so it’s a good option to wear them.
Asics Superblast
Ideally I’d go for Asics Superblast which I have been training in, but they’re not race legal. Although I am just aiming to finish, I don’t want to risk someone noticing and getting into trouble. Unlikely, but it’s a risk that doesn’t seem worth it.
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite
These have also been recommended to me. I have some Velocity Nitro v4 just for daily life and they’re amazingly comfortable and light. So this is an option.
Saucony Endorphin Pro
This does have a plate, however so many people keep recommending them on the threads I have read. This includes for those who are slower runners like myself.
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite (v4 or v5)
Again, these have a plate and I see these as being very highly rated and recommended for most runners - not just fast ones.
Questions
I usually hate these kinds of questions as it’s so personal and subjective. But I’m looking more for anecdotal advice. Anything you think I should remember, or consider. It’s particularly hard as I don’t want to buy the shoes and then find out after 2-3 runs they just don’t work well for me. So just looking to do a bit of research now and then hopefully choose the best ones.
The carbon plated super shoes are for speed. It sounds like you are not as concerned about cutting 10-15 minutes off your run time as you are about comfort. If that is the case you might want to look at the max cushion shoes instead of the super shoes. I have never actually put on a max cushion shoe, but the name sound heavenly comfy to me.
I unfortunately have never worn any of the shoes you are looking at, but I can say for me that the the super shoes save my legs. I did a Full Marathon in new super shoes 5 days before a club relay (10 x 4.2 km to relay a Marathon). I did my warm up for the relay in my training shoes and my quads were screaming and my hamstrings and calves were tight from the marathon a few days earlier. Then I put on the carbon plated shoes for a few strided right before I raced and the quads didn’t feel any pain and the hamstrings and calves felt better too. So, for me, the carbon shoes save the legs. I had the Apha Fly shoes. They are designed for mid-sole strikers. If you are a heel striker the carbon plate might not load correctly. I have heard that the Hoka Rocket-X are designed for heel strikers.
The super shoes are legitimately faster. But they’ll have very small to negligible gains at your planned race strategy.
If you get them, get them early enough that you can do some training in them to ensure no weird fit surprises. Def don’t do like the first real run with them on race day.
But I’ll say that your much better bet is to avoid the risk and cost entirely and buy the same shoe that has worked for you in training. The Ironman for you is more about comfort and durability rather than speed.
Thanks - that’s very good advice. My plan is to buy them this week, giving me 5-6 weeks to try them, adjust, make sure they work
The shoes I’ve used are Asics Superblast v1 - which are now needing replacing anyway. But I cant get the updated version as the stack height exceeds the legal limit.
That’s why I am looking at other options.
I’ve done further research and pretty sure I’ll get the Saucony Endorphin Pro 5 - apparently most say it’s very stable, great for those who are new to carbon plate and is one step down from the absolutely crazy race shoes out there
No, that’s not quite right is it. If you read my opening post you’ll see the following:
Carbon Shoes - Mixed Advice Online
I have read conflicting things about carbon plated shoes. Some say they can actually cause a lot of discomfort and don’t perform well if running long and slow (or walking). Where as others say they help save your legs and so it’s a good option to wear them.
CONFLICTING things.
I clearly say it’s mixed advice and feedback. This is based on numerous searches, where multiple people say to avoid it, and multiple people say it was a great help to them.
So no, it’s not “dumb” and I quite clearly ask for people’s own experience, particularly in reference to my own situation and circumstances.
I have a friend who is bigger (195) and slower (9:00/mi for 10k).
Shoes were worth :30 secs/mi.
They bought a previous gen pair for <$80 after doing a lot of research, did plenty of test runs to make sure they did no damage (that is, altering form so as to induce injury).
For a first Ironman? In 9 weeks? They would wear the shoes they’ve been training in for the past year, and no one could talk them out of it.
I said in my opening post that the shoes I have been wearing are not race legal (Asics Superblast). They’re also at about 400 miles of wear and in need of replacement.
Thanks for your opinions and views everyone. I will turn off notifications now as I’ll make a decision based on a few different shoes I have bought to try on at home.
I also run in that pace range and have tried a bunch of carbon plate shoes. The only ones ive liked are the Hoka Rocket 3s. I also really appreciate the weight of them them compared to my “regular” sneakers (Nike Vomeros)
The anecdote you were looking for: I have these. Love’em. Comfortable and they spare my legs from mayhem. Also they feel fast; though I’m not sure they are fast. The paces I last used them for were around 7:15-7:30 per mile or 4:30-4:40 per km.
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