I mostly do sprint and olympic distance races and I’ve been considering getting a pair of super shoes for faster times. What I’ve noticed when shopping around is most of them claim they are designed for races 10km and above; many specifically mention being marathon shoes. What does this mean? What makes them appropriate for a marathon, but not ideal for shorter distances? Additionally, given that I do race shorter races, what kind of racing shoes should I be looking at?
Thanks!
** What makes them appropriate for a marathon, but not ideal for shorter distances?//**
Do you think all the savings come in the last mile of a marathon? If a shoe is faster over a marathon, it is faster over a mile too. It may be there are some nuances to how much faster they are, according to how fast you are running, how heavy are you, or perhaps your style, but a fast shoe is a fast shoe. Like so many other fast products we all use, they all won’t line up equally for each person. You may have to try some different ones(like wetsuits) to find the absolute best one for you. They are all pretty new, but I believe there are many n=1 testimonials out there, so sift through some of those and compare them to the runner you are to get a ballpark on where to start…
** **Do you think all the savings come in the last mile of a marathon?
No, I don’t, which is why I asked the question
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I mostly do sprint and olympic distance races and I’ve been considering getting a pair of super shoes for faster times. What I’ve noticed when shopping around is most of them claim they are designed for races 10km and above; many specifically mention being marathon shoes. What does this mean? What makes them appropriate for a marathon, but not ideal for shorter distances? Additionally, given that I do race shorter races, what kind of racing shoes should I be looking at?
Thanks!
Ultra lightweight flats may outweigh the benefit of the foam/plate/protection of the new generation of marathon shoes over a shorter distance. I don’t know if this is true, but I assume that is the school of thought. I still use my endorphin Pros for all race distances.
carbon tech shoes have been shown to improve times above 800m.
but what is the point of faster time if there is no prize money involved?
Definitely get them. You can push really hard on the bike and when you start running, you will feel legs are less tired although you are running in the same speed as before.
Sprint / duathlon races in my area, top 5 places can often be separated by a few seconds. If a pair of shoes saves you 5-10 seconds over 5-10km, then its worth it IMHO.
In fact, I’d say its more important to me in those races as I can be somewhat competitive. At Ironman, I suck and often end up doing a lot of walking. Super shoes ain’t gonna help me much there lol.
Are you wanting a shoe for something shorter? Because New Balance designed the 5280 specifically for the Mile.
https://www.believeintherun.com/new-balance-fuelcell-5280-performance-review/
Buy a pair. Unfortunately they’re super expensive, but they will make you faster at 5k and 10k runs.
I think that ‘marathon’ shoes are softer that what you want/need for a short event… ie: track shoes don’t have 2 inch of foam.
Are you wanting a shoe for something shorter? Because New Balance designed the 5280 specifically for the Mile.
I don’t do IM/HIM so I’m looking for a shoe to target 5k-10k (sprint/olympic) races
There are a few studies (here’s one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEaN9FKGLE&ab_channel=DylanJohnson, there are more) that show there’s no difference in power between running shoes and clipless bike shoes ( no difference at all between any clipless system, personal preference only). The new running shoes with interior plates are way stiffer than the old minimal shoes, so there is no problem with your arches.
Conclusion, consider in shorter races, using running shoes for the ride as well. The mount and dismount times are quicker and easier. Works particularly well in duathlons but also in sprint races on relatively flat courses. Lots of mountain bike racers use flats. And even if you do like to pull up for extra power on a climb, pedal straps will do just as well.
On a lighter note, there was an old timer, here in Southern Ontario, who used to swim in his running shoes. This was before people regularly wore wetsuits. Have a feeling that may have been one step too many.
I have raced a Du on Hokas (they don’t bend either) and it was a blast.
:0)
I wouldn’t say the target of the Rocket X is specifically the 5k or 10k, but it if you’re a heavier runner I’d use that for anything that is a half marathon or under. It has 4mm less stack than the Carbon X and the foam is slightly different.
My first pair was the Adidas Adios Pro 2. Bought them, did one tempo run, then PR’d a 5k. Sold.
I now have the North Face trail shoe with the carbon and a pair of the Saucony Endorphin. They’re all 3 fast, but the Adidas are the fastest albeit least stable.
Probably will try the Nikes next.
Prices are coming down. Saucony has a sale going and the Endorphin is like $120. I even have a coupon of 20 bucks off that if you PM me I’ll send it to you. They might not be the fastest shoe l, but they might be the fastest shoe at that price point.
The designation is a holdover from when racing flats were typically minimalist (pre supershoes). Some had so little cushioning that they weren’t recommended for longer races.
What they are inelegantly saying is not that the shoe isn’t suitable for a 5k, it’s that it’s cushioned enough for a marathon.
Pre supershoe, more foam made you slower (due to weight). Now with the newer foams, more makes you faster (energy return > weight penalty).
Just get the AlphaFly Next% or the Vaporfly Next% 1 or 2
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I mostly do sprint and olympic distance races and … What I’ve noticed when shopping around is most of them claim they are designed for races 10km and above; many specifically mention being marathon shoes. …What makes them appropriate for a marathon, but not ideal for shorter distances?
Maybe you saw an ad that was targeting marathon runners? Most of the legit research on these shoes have been done at shorter durations. That’s where they show improvement. Which then, and this is my guess, gets extrapolated to the marathon distance.
The shoes are legit, they increase running economy 1-7%. The problem is shoe A may increase my economy by 6% and only 1% for you while Shoe B increases us both by 3.5%.
Just get the shoes that feel the best when you try them on.
Are you wanting a shoe for something shorter? Because New Balance designed the 5280 specifically for the Mile.
I don’t do IM/HIM so I’m looking for a shoe to target 5k-10k (sprint/olympic) races
My wife races supersprints, sprints, and Olympic distance primarily. Loves the sprints. She’ll be wearing a Nike super shoe without question.
Desert Dude is right. (see immediately above)