OPINION: Running world records are tumbling, but is it only down to the shoes?

Back in 2010, global swimming federation Fina (now known as World Aquatics) banned non-textile swimsuits because it was decided that they offered an unfair advantage.

And it was a good move. By stopping swimmers from using them, they set a firm precedent preventing the sport from becoming a battle between the best equipment rather than a battle between the best swimmers.

World Athletics, perhaps under pressure from global shoe manufacturers which play a key role in funding the sport, were faced with a similar decision a few years ago. And they went the other way with it.

While they did impose restrictions to prevent manufacturers from taking things as far as they wanted, they opted to allow them to continue making shoes with carbon plates.

The advantage athletes with these ‘super shoes’ have is so extreme that the world records have tumbled at such a rate, athletes are now producing super-human performances.

And it is unfair on athletes who either can’t afford these shoes (they’re not cheap) or are sponsored by brands which haven’t mastered the technology as well as some others.

But this doesn’t bother me too much. What really bothers me is that the performances being achieved are so ridiculous they should be raising people’s eyebrows throughout the sport of athletics.

Is it only the shoes?

Instead, when an athlete shatters a record with a sublime performance that seems almost impossible, we can’t even question their integrity. If anyone raises concerns about doping, the athlete can just point to their super shoes.

Last week, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda ran 56:42 over the half-marathon distance in Barcelona. This is ridiculous. Previously, questions would have been asked. Now people point to the shoes.

And he’s not alone. There are so many records being completely obliterated it’s becoming silly. For example, at last year’s Chicago Marathon, Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya set a new women’s marathon world record of 2:09:56. In my mind, that performance stands out more than any other. It doesn’t even seem physically possible.

For any analyst of the sport, that record should have set off alarm bells. But if you raised concerns, people just pointed to her shoes.

An easy excuse

I’m not saying Kiplimo or Chepngetich are doping. What I am saying is that the shoes have become an easy excuse to dismiss even having discussions around possible doping.

For this reason, as much as I still love athletics, I really don’t care about world records anymore.

These shoes are a nuisance, and when athletes like Kiplimo and Chepngetich achieve super-human performances, I can’t help but wonder if they might be taking performance enhancing substances.

But it’s not even worth talking about it, which we should be doing. People just point to the shoes.