SPECIAL SHOES HELP LAURA FLY...
WHAT SHOES WAS LAURA MUIR WEARING IN BIRMINGHAM?
Muir was wearing Nike spikes understood to be prototypes of the company’s Vaporfly 4% series — the trainers designed to support Nike’s bid for a marathon runner to cover 26.2miles in less than two hours.
HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL RUNNING SPIKES?
Nike’s Vaporfly shoes claim to offer a four per cent improvement in running economy compared to the firm’s next fastest model. They feature a thick foam layer to dampen impact with a stiff carbon-fibre strip on top to help the athlete push off the shoe and drive forward, with more lightweight cushioning on top. Traditional track spikes have a much thinner sole than the ones worn by Muir last weekend, which had six 5mm spikes on a rubber forefoot pad for extra traction.
SO, WHAT ARE THE RULES?
Rule 143 of the IAAF regulations states: ‘Any type of shoe used must be reasonably available to all in the spirit of the universality of athletics. Shoes must not be constructed so as to give athletes any unfair assistance or advantage.’