By Glen Lichtwark, Dominic Farris & Luke A Kelly
Most runners believe a good pair of running shoes is worth the investment. But advances in running shoe technology have sparked debate about whether shoes help you run faster.
Can they really allow marathon runners to break the elusive two-hour barrier, a challenge set to take place in Italy this weekend? Or can newer shoes help you improve your personal best?
If they do, can we class these shoes as “performance enhancing” technologies that give runners an unfair advantage?
Light shoes, better performance
The weight of your running shoes can have a significant impact on running performance. As shoes get heavier, muscles use more energy to move your feet, causing you to fatigue earlier, reducing your running performance.
Advances in materials technology...