Most unusual question

Did he want to wear spikes? Can't see how anyone would think type of shoe would have anything to do with record eligibility, unless he was thinking about the shoes with springs in the heels.

Yup, he is undoubtedly asking about the new Adidas "Springblade" or one of the other shoes with springs in the soles. Me, as my times get slower - I'm gettin' me the Pogo Pumps - the new shoe with the electric pogo stick in each sole. Record books, look out.

They do make shoes with wheels on the bottom. Those are illegal.

I think I would break my neck if I wore the shoes with wheels, as I am a heel-striker. With each step, my foot could slip out from under me.

I was talking about roller skates.

Mark I thought you were talking about those stealth roller shoes, they look just like sneakers but have little wheels that pop out and you ride like a skate. This is for real, we had to make rules about them at my school.

Several years ago Spira brought out a shoe with a spring coil embedded in the insole. They were ruled illegal and the company got a lot of publicity and ads saying "Banned in Boston." Have not heard if adidas' Springblade will face a similar challenge.

Pete, found an interesting article on my comments about what kind of shoes one can wear in a road race. The RRTC doesn't rule on what shoes are legal for racing. As for the new Adidas shoe, that ruling would come from USATF not me if they are acceptable for record purpose.

USATF and IAAF Rules deal with shoes (USATF 143). This is more of an issue with track spikes where there are restrictions on the thickness of the sole and the number of spikes.

The key is that shoe not give the athlete an unfair advantage.

Spira had shoes (I believe a line of shoes) that had springs incorporated in the sole
and advertised that their shoe was illegal under IAAF/USATF rules. In fact, they are not illegal and their campaign fizzled out.

Tell Spira to restart their campaign!! If the “shoes are constructed to give an unfair advantage” then they’re illegal.

These days, to keep up with the youngsters, I need all the unfair advantage I can get! But we’d have to devise an experiment to demonstrate the desired “unfair advantage” of their springs. If memory serves, researcher David Costill may have already investigated the possibility – I believe he found that in actual practice, instead of “returning energy” the spring absorbed the runners energy, and the intended advantage was lost. The runners were faster without the springs.

But, as written, the rule appears to address intent, not the effect.

Rule 143 specifically mentions a spring in the shoe.

RULE 143
ATHLETIC ATTIRE
…
3. (a) A competitor may compete in bare feet or with footwear on one or both
feet. The purpose of shoes for competition is to give protection and
stability to the feet and a firm grip of the ground. Such shoes, however,
must not be constructed so as to give the competitor any unfair
additional assistance, including the incorporation of any technology
which will give the wearer any unfair advantage, such as a spring or
similar device. A shoe strap over the instep is permissible.