BioLAB’s STEM team have been eagerly following the race to break the 2 hour marathon barrier. Throughout the past few years we have seen sports engineers pushing the boundaries of human performance with advances in shoe technology.
With athletes continually searching for athletic dominance, the technologies they use must continually adapt. Working alongside athletes, sport engineers are continually making advancements in the technology’s athlete’s use, giving them a greater advantage.
No matter the sport, engineers are working in the background to design and develop new and innovative technologies that can help to unlock success.
Continued research and analysis by biomechanical specialists at Nike, has led to the development of the Nike Alphafly shoe. Known as the world’s fastest pair of runners.
The shoe gives its athletes such an incredible advantage, that it is the runner of choice for Eluid Kipchoge; the first and only athlete to run the Marathon in under 2 hours- a feat once considered humanly impossible. Along with Eliud Kipchoge, elite athletes using this new Nike carbon plate shoe technology – which lend a propulsive sensation in every stride, have practically swept the field in long distance events – taking 31 of the 36 podium places at the six major marathons in 2019.
As these technologies have evolved and athletic performance drastically improved, The World Athletics governing bodies have been quick to step in, altering rules and regulations regarding shoe design.
As of March 2020 all shoes worm during World Athletic events are to be limited to one embedded carbon plate (Alphafly shoe technologies use three carbon plates) and a minimum sole thickness of 40 millimetres (Alphafly shoe technologies are 36mm).
As athletes continue to work alongside sport engineers, we must continually ask ourselves whether these engineering advancements help to advance athletic performance and/or give athletes an unfair technological advantage over their opponents.
To learn more about Nike Alphafly technologies visit the website below;
https://www.nike.com/running/alphafly
