Laura Muir's Nike spike controversy
Laura Muir, a British runner sponsored by Nike ran a 4:18.75 at the 2019 Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham, on February 16, of 2019. Muir won the women's mile race, breaking a 31 year old British record. The spikes she wore started a controversial topic among people. The spikes she wore were equivalent to the Nike Vaporfly worn by many elite marathoners including Eliud Kipchoge, who won the Berlin Marathon last year setting a world record. Nike claims that the Vaporfly can make you 4 percent faster in the running economy. So how does this really work? The sole that Nike has made is foam like, but is still thick enough to support the shoe. There is also a carbon-fiber plate embedded inside the shoe which helps out with propulsion. These two elements are the difference between the average spike, which is a lot thinner than this prototype. IAAF Rule 143 states that "Any type of shoe used must be reasonably available to all in the spirit of the universality of athletics. "Shoe technology is improving all the time," said a spokesperson. "The IAAF has no evidence that this particular shoe does not conform to rule 143.2" While the Vaporfly shoes are on sale, these spikes are not on the market as they are prototypes. Despite this issue, Muir wore these spikes at the European Indoor Championships 3000m, and won the race.
Muir goes on to run a new British record in the mile in the prototype spikes (Taka G/Alamy)
Muir isn't the only one to wear prototype shoes issued by Nike. Gwen Jorgensen, a gold medallist who won the 2016 Olympic triathlon also wore a Nike Vaporfly 4% with a spike plate at the USATF 10k championships. She placed 7th place in a time of 32:24. Although this event didn't spark controversy, it caused curiousness. She had even posted a video on her Youtube channel about the special spikes. Jorgensen stated that she preferred the 4% as it's cushioning helped her with racing as she had foot problems. The Ingebrigtsten brothers also wore the same spikes as Muir. Filip Ingebrigtsen wore the same spikes in the 2018 Diamond League Paris 1500m, running a new personal best of 3:32.87. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the youngest of the brothers wore the same shoe and won the 2019 European Indoor Championships 3000m.
Muir's older spikes, which have normal features unlike the prototype (Twitter)
My Opinion:
While some believe that there is an unfair advantage because of these spikes, I believe that companies such as Nike should still produce prototypes for their athletes. There is a reason why athletes signed a sponsorship with them: To test new models that the company produces. There is also a reason why there is competition around brands. If none of these brands had found a special technology to put into their products, none of these brands will sound appealing towards athletes and customers alike. Because this spikes won't come out in the market, we shouldn't just complain about it, and use the resources that are around us. Nike has put in 2 very successful products in the market similar to the spikes: The Nike Vaporlfy 4% and the Vaporfly 4% Flyknit. There is an interesting study on The New York Times which proves that the Vaporfly will actually improve your times. I'm hoping to write another article soon on why athletes should be allowed to compete in prototypes.
More on the story:
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a26440923/muirs-record-breaking-spikes-cause-controversy/
https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/laura-muirs-nike-spike-prototypes-spark-controversy/
https://www.iaaf.org/news/iaaf-news/competition-rule-amendments-june-2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5hiIQ7UR6k
Comments
Post a Comment