Feather Light, Athletic Shoes

Runners depend on their shoes for success.  In order to make a good record, personalized shoes based on foot shape and running position are necessary.

For example, heavy shoes can really slow an athlete down. Athletes generally prefer light and resilient shoes.

When Usain Bolt set the world record of 100m in Beijing Olympic Games 2008, the weight of his odd shoe was 204g. In Berlin one year later his shoes weighed 149g.  With these shoes he set a record of 9.58 seconds in IAAF World Championships Berlin 2009.

Today athletic shoes can weigh less than 100g. These shoes are designed for sprints.

The winner of the men’s 200m and the 400m in 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Michael Johnson, had shoe that weighed only 99.2g.  On these shoes, the spikes were reduced in size. 

The weight of shoes might be a burden from some athletes. Some claim that energy consumption increases by 1 percent per ever 100 grams worth of shoe weight. In 1960 in the Rome Olympic Marathon, the winner Abebe ran barefoot.

Of course however, athletic shoes lessen the impact when the runner steps on the track.

Runners typically use a second insole to reduce the impact.  Shoes are also resized based on the shape of the athlete’s foot.