Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum broke the men’s marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon, running an astounding 2:00:35 as the 23-year old inched closer to breaking the 2 hour barrier.
This will soon be taking human performance to a level that many used to believe was not possible. Shaving a little over one second off of each of the 26 miles that are run will break the barrier.
There was a 1:59:40 Marathon run but it was using a lot of illegal pace setters and other things that are not permitted for a proper record run.
Supershoes Actually Work
The term super shoes is used to describe a new generation of running shoes with advanced technology and design features intended to improve a runner’s performance. The shoes typically have a thick midsole made of lightweight foam that provides high levels of cushioning and energy return, as well as a carbon fiber plate that runs through the midsole to increase propulsion and reduce fatigue.
It appears that super shoe technology, new training and other advances are enabling the improvement. In 2017-2023, there were research papers that indicating that super shoes have improved marathon performances by 1 to 3 minutes. The first super shoe — the Nike Vaporfly 4% — was introduced in 2017, it lowered the amount of energy your body needs to sustain a certain pace by an average of 4 percent, a study published in the journal Sports Medicine determined. The supershoes are still being improved.
A Pilot Study: Effects Of A 8-Week Training Intervention In Carbon-Plated Running Shoes (May 2023).
This just pilot data. Matties is planning to run a much larger study starting this fall. The supershoe group improved their running economy by 1.0 percent on average; the flats group improved by 5.6 percent.
RESULTS: Improvement in RE (VO2) in SS compared to FL between PRE and POST increased in the SS intervention group (0.2 ± 2.2%) compared to FL (-0.4 ± 0.2%). On average all participants’ RE improved over the 8 week intervention, though FL group improved more (5.6 ± 1.1%) than the SS group (1.0 ± 3.6%). The FL group improved RE by 5.8 ± 1.0% when running in FL and by 5.4 ± 1.2% when running in SS. The SS group improved RE by 0.8 ± 4.6% when running in FL and by 1.11 ± 2.72% when running in SS. Compared to PRE, one subject in the SS group exhibited an increased dorsiflexion net moment (NJM), delayed plantarflexor NJM, an increased knee extensor NJM, and greater peak knee negative power in SS during POST
IF supershoe technology could enable a 4% decrease in times going forward, this would be about 260 seconds off of the 7235 seconds now. This would be another 4 minute and 20 seconds. This would mean a time of 1 hour 56 minutes and 15 seconds.
The fastest 2-mile run is 7:54.10, set by Norwegian runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Paris in 2023. Ingebrigtsen broke Daniel Komen’s record of 7:58.61, which had stood since 1997. Ingebrigtsen is one of the greatest middle-distance runners today. He also holds the European records for the 1500m (3:27.95, 3:27.14), mile (3:43.73), 3000m (7:24.00), and 2000m (4:43.13).
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
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