Research indicates that advanced footwear technology (AFT) spikes, commonly referred to as super spikes, can enhance a runner’s performance by approximately 2% in middle-distance track events such as the 800-meter and 1,500-meter races.
A recent study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, reveals that super spikes can provide runners with about a 2% advantage in middle-distance track competitions, including the 800- and 1,500-meters.
“Track athletes began using super spikes roughly five years ago, and they have since become standard in top-tier track events,” explains Wouter Hoogkamer, an assistant professor of kinesiology at UMass Amherst and the primary author of the study.
“Super spikes feature a thicker, lighter, and more resilient midsole that is often paired with a rigid carbon-fiber plate embedded within it,” elaborates Montgomery Bertschy, a doctoral student in Hoogkamer’s Integrative Locomotive Lab at UMass and co-first author of the research.
“In recent years, numerous track records have fallen, and we anticipate more during the upcoming Olympics,” Hoogkamer continues. “While many attribute these achievements to advancements in spike technology, scientifically, we lack clarity on their direct impact. Are athletes performing better due to the spikes, or is it a result of improved training methods or faster racing tracks?”
To investigate, Hoogkamer assembled a global team of researchers, including Ethan Wilkie, a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick in Canada, and Victor Rodrigo-Carranza, who was a graduate student at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain at the time.
Through a series of experiments, the team compared various designs of super spikes with traditional track spike shoes, which are typically lightweight with minimal cushioning and lacking additional flexibility. Their findings revealed that different designs of super shoes enhanced running speeds by approximately 2%, with improvements varying from 1.8% to 3.1%.
This raises an important question: How could a 2% increase in speed affect the competition? “Significantly,” Wilkie asserts. “Our data demonstrates that footwear plays a crucial role, with some brands of spikes outperforming others. Historically, differences of less than 0.5% in race time have determined medal placements. Our 2% finding suggests that athletes with slightly superior shoes may gain a competitive edge.”
“During the Olympics, very few competitors will use traditional spikes, but it’s essential to understand that not all super spikes deliver the same performance,” Hoogkamer adds. In the final part of their study, the researchers examined commercially available shoe models. They found that the PUMA evoSPEED LD Nitro Elite+ and Nike ZoomX Dragonfly provided significant speed enhancements of about 2%, while another model from a different brand showed only a 1% improvement, which was statistically no better than traditional spikes.
While Hoogkamer’s earlier studies highlighted the advantages of super shoes in marathons, analyzing their benefits for middle-distance track events presented distinct challenges. To examine the effects of super shoes on marathon runners, researchers often track the air that runners exhale while they jog at marathon pace on a treadmill. “In middle-distance races, however, a notable portion of the energy comes from anaerobic metabolism, which is not captured by analyzing breath alone,” clarifies Rodrigo-Carranza. Instead, the research team drew from their experiences as (former) competitive middle-distance runners to create a new protocol where participants ran several 200m intervals at their self-defined middle-distance race pace, a common training method.
Bertschy emphasizes the scientific rigor that allowed the team to isolate the influence of shoe design on middle-distance running performance. “From previous studies, we know that shoe weight significantly impacts the energy expenditure during running,” he states. “For each additional 100 grams, runners expend approximately 1% more energy, which in turn means a speed reduction of about 0.6% at these paces.” Therefore, in their initial experiment, they added 200 grams to each shoe from a control pair of spikes to create a 2% increase in energy costs for the athletes. They anticipated this would lead to a 1.2% decrease in speed, confirming their method’s ability to measure the shoe’s direct impact, which it did.
In Spain, Rodrigo-Carranza tested the reliability of their new protocol by having participants run in three different spike models on three separate occasions. When comparing the performance across the three models, the team consistently observed similar results each time, further validating their method.
Regarding how super spikes contribute to speed, the researchers discovered that runners take longer strides rather than simply increasing their stride frequency. “Our findings suggest that, in a 1500m race, participants would take 17 to 21 fewer steps when wearing super spikes compared to traditional spikes,” Hoogkamer explains.
Hoogkamer foresees exciting possibilities ahead with the implementation of this new methodology. “Different brands are currently utilizing this protocol to assess their spikes and determine the best fit for specific distances or athletes, who may vary in strength, weight, or speed,” he states. “Athletes can be tested with this new protocol to identify whether spike A or B is more suitable for them.”
For non-Olympians, Hoogkamer shares that this study underscores the importance of understanding that while athletes are training harder, footwear also plays a vital role. “This research aims to help observers recognize that improvements seen during the Olympics or record-breaking performances are partly due to advancements in shoe technology, and we have the evidence to support this.”
