New running shoes are smashing records

PLATFORM SHOES are back in fashion, at least in athletics. Many of the long-distance runners at the Tokyo Olympics, which begin on July 23rd, will arrive at the starting line sporting footwear with a distinctive chunky-looking heel. It will be more than just a fashion statement. The new shoes offer such a big performance advantage that critics have described them as “technological doping”.Running-shoe makers have long tried to boost athletic performance, observes Geoff Burns, a biomechanics expert at the University of Michigan. In olden days, a 1% improvement in “running economy”—the energy taken to travel a given distance—would have impressed. But in 2016 Nike released the first version of its “Vaporfly” model, which improved running economy by 4%.