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Super shoes, with stiff plates and thick, highly resilient foams, have changed road racing. But how much do they help an ordinary runner?

• Laboratory studies have found average improvements in running economy of a few percent compared with traditional racing shoes
• Individual responses vary a lot; some runners benefit much more than others
• The foam is thought to contribute at least as much as the plate itself
• Benefits at slower paces are less well studied than at faster paces
• Some runners report calf, foot or Achilles soreness when switching, so a gradual introduction is sensible

Background: running economy and VO2max and Kelvin Kiptum’s marathon economy.

Have you raced in super shoes, and did you notice a difference?

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A note on interpreting the numbers: an improvement in running economy does not translate one-to-one into race time, and the effect differs between runners. Lab results are averages; your personal benefit could be smaller or larger. Treat the shoe as a small factor compared with training, pacing and fuelling.

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