The International Association of Athletics Federations, which oversees international running and track and field competition, is meeting to consider whether to ban the latest technologically advanced running shoes such as those worn by Eliud Kipchoge in last week’s sub-two-hour marathon run. Evidence is mounting that certain Nike models, such as the alphaFLY and Vaporfly Next%, which both use a combination of cushioning and carbon fiber plates in the midsole, do confer a real benefit to running speed. The New York Times found that runners wearing the Vaporfly ran 3-4% faster than similar runners wearing other shoes by analyzing data uploaded ... Log in to view full article.