Same basic list it has been since the last revision. (Itâs really just shoes banned by World Athletics, and then trickles down to World Triathlon, and then to IM).
There are plenty of other shoes that technically fail the WA test (I just reviewed one for the front page), but because I donât think anybody at the front of the field is considering wearing it as a race shoeâŚthey donât get declared.
Figure this might be easier: the full list of legal shoes (as long as itâs approved under the Road & Race Walking category, youâre fine). Full list | LIST OF APPROVED ATHLETIC SHOES
Iâm expecting an upcoming change in the rules in the next couple years. Mizuno has exploited the specifics of the measurement and I donât see why other companies wouldnât do the same. Theyâll probably just change it to define max stack height at any point perpendicular to the insole/outsole.
They measure stack height at 12% the length of the shoe with the heel on the ground, so shoes like this are legal despite a 60mm stack height. (tbf I snagged a pair and they are brilliant, if you like high stack shoes)
Iâm just going to run in my Skyward X this year until they specifically by name ban it.
does IM say that it follows the world athletics shoe rules? which would mean anything above 40mm in shoe height? also, iâm confused by the world athletics rules, as to who they apply to. my cursory read says that they apply to those who are in a competition generating world athletics points.
ââApplicable Competitionâ means a competition that holds a permit issued by either World Athletics, an Area Association or a National Federation where all relevant World Athleticsâ Rules and Regulations are complied with and consequently at which World Ranking Points and holding a permit issued by their National Federation, in addition the National Federation must endorse the competition as being valid for World Athleticsâ statistical and results purposes.â
thereâs a lot of âandsâ in there. not âorsâ.
so, in a typical road race is this ruleset relevant? is it the same for pros and AGers?
With regard to IRONMAN: yep. Rule 6.02(e) on Prohibited Equipment:
A list of pre-approved running shoes can be found here. Generally, IRONMAN
adheres to World Athleticsâ Shoe Regulations applicable to road events for all
IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Events, including the IRONMAN World Championship
and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. For the avoidance of doubt: Running
shoes with a stack height sole thickness (as defined in World Athletics: Athletic Shoe
Regulations 10.3-10.5) of greater than 40mm are prohibited and will result in
disqualification. Shoes containing more than one plate rigid structure (as defined in
World Athletics; Athletic Shoe regulation 10.6) are prohibited and will result in
disqualification. Customized shoes, as defined in the World Athleticsâ Shoe
Regulations, are permitted to be worn in competitions following approval from the
World Triathlon Technical Committee. Development shoes, as defined in the World
Athleticsâ Shoe Regulations, can be used in all Events (including World
Championships) with the conditions that:
(i) the specific shoe is already on the list of Shoes Approved by World Athletics
as a development shoe;
(ii) the Event where the shoes to be used is held within the approved dates as
indicated on the list of Shoes Approved by World Athletics; and
(iii) the shoe manufacturer or the athlete must submit the request to the World
Triathlon Technical Committee to be able to use the development shoes.
Athletes are subject to random shoe control before, during, or after any Race. For
any shoe that cannot be identified, each piece of information (and maybe the shoe
itself) will be required to be sent to the World Triathlon headquarters for
verification within 7 days after the Race it was worn. In the official results, the
athletes under shoe review will have the note âResult Under Reviewâ added to the
results footer notes. If the shoe is confirmed as legal, the note will be removed. In
any different case, the athlete will be disqualified.
For your typical, average, run of the mill road race? Depends on whether it is a USATF sanctioned event or not. The vast majority arenât.
Edit to add: the link described in the rulebook above goes to the PDF version of the approved list I linked upthread.
this is a question i have. thatâs a really nice shoe. but i donât see how itâs legal in IM competition based on the rule section ryan just reprinted above.
IM made this needlessly complicated by supplementing their actual rule with a non-exhaustive list of prohibited shoes.
Exactly.
The easiest way to have done this was to just link to the list of shoes approved for competition versus trying to come up with a banned list.
But they started this thing with their non-exhaustive list of prohibited wetsuits back in the day, which then created the whole loophole that resulted in that Daniela Ryf wetsuit fiasco from a couple years back.
But wouldnât listing almost every shoe ever produced any where in the world be unmanageable?
See post #3 for an already made list. There arenât that many companies making running shoes and those companies donât make that may models, and very few of those are anywhere close to the max height. Probably 100 shoe models/year that actually need to be measured
Dan, itâs not legal but until they specifically ban shoes by name itâs fair game as far as Iâm concerned. As was pointed out they made a rule and then they made a list. That was just stupid. They set some sort of precedent with the list and itâs their job to now update that list. If theyâre two years behind thatâs on them for starting this problem in the first place.
Pre-2016 shoes are all grandfathered in.
Anything more recent than that, if you want your athletes to wear it in a WA-following event, you need to submit it for testing, approval, and publication on that list.
With regard to the Skyward X, as @Slowman and @The_GMAN_Retired are in: itâs not on the approved list, ergo, it is technically illegal for any World Triathlon or IM branded event. But for your average road race? Nobody cares. And I doubt that unless you won your age group or qualified for a worlds slot, anybody would care about wearing a Skyward X (or a Glycerin Max or something else) during one.
And, yeah, this is silly to have a banned list when you could just roll through the approved list. Shoe not there? Itâs not allowed.
Disagree. Unenforced, maybe, but not fair game. A pro winning Kona on these shoes would be a big problem.
Hoka Skyward is greater than 40mm and not on the list. Nowhere in the actual rulebook does it say that shoes NOT listed are prohibited are allowed. They would probably define this as âDevelopment shoeâ which would be subject to testing
No, the âdev shoeâ is a specific call out thing. It still shows up on the list (see, e.g., multiple versions of the new Hyperion Elite, which are legal until the retail version hit shelves).
So could just you keep it a development shoe forever?
The problem with the approved list you linked is that it hasnât been updated either. For example, the Hoka Bondi 7 is the last Bondi on the list. Theyâre up to the Bondi 9. So should the Bondi 8 and 9 not be allowed because theyâre too lazy to update the list?
No. Development shoes are only valid for a specific period of time. They still must comply with the stack height and plate rules. Itâs just a way to skirt the retail requirement.
Example: Saucony has a version of the Endorphin called the DVP 7. Itâs a prototype. It is only legal for competitions through June 2025.
Itâs not that they are too lazy to update the list.
Itâs that HOKA didnât send the shoe to be tested. Because, letâs be honest, what pro is going to race in a Bondi?