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The Technology Helping Athletes Smash World Records

Athletes who aren’t sponsored by Nike are inherently at a disadvantage right now

Ryan Fan
6 min readDec 9, 2020
Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Shoe — from Berria on Wikipedia Commons

A common misconception is that running is a cheap hobby. I bought the famed Nike Vaporfly Next% shoes, which were controversial when they first came out because they include three carbon-fiber plates inside the shoes that help people run faster. In fact, according to Andrew Dawson at Runner’s World, the shoes were used by Eliud Kipchoge when he broke the two-hour marathon in October 2019.

When I got the Nike Vaporfly Next%, I wasn’t in shape. But at my local running store that holds the running club I’m a part of, I ran a mile on the treadmill with the Next% shoes and instantly felt like I was on springs. I simply couldn’t run slow — they were too good, and it felt like cheating. I would run times I was certainly not in shape to run, all thanks to the newest advances in running technology.

The price I paid for the shoes? $200. And that was with a 20% discount.

My Nike Vaporfly Next% Shoes — Photo from the author.

Technology has taken the world of running a long way, and most recently, they have helped athletes break world records…

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Ryan Fan
Ryan Fan

Written by Ryan Fan

Believer, Baltimore City IEP Chair, and 2:35 marathon runner. Diehard fan of “The Wire.”

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