The shoes worn by runners at the Tokyo-Hakone Intercollegiate Ekiden were in the spotlight, and it had nothing to do with fashion.
With stage records broken in seven of the 10 legs in the two-day race Jan. 2-3 from Tokyo to Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, it seems to be no coincidence that many runners were wearing Nike's thick-soled Vaporfly.
About 85% of the 210 runners in the race wore the shoes, including nine of the 10 stage-winners. "[The shoes] undoubtedly had an effect on times," said one coach, a view shared by many of his counterparts.
The buzz started when Nike Inc. introduced the Vaporfly series in 2017. The shoe has a carbon fiber plate in its ultralight midsole, which is touted to have more cushioning and spring.
In 2018, both Yuta Shitara and Suguru Osako were wearing the shoes when they consecutively broke the Japanese record in the men's marathon.
One model in the series, released in July 2019, has been particularly drawing raves.
"The shoe has more spring compared to previous models," one athlete said. The model quickly spread among the world's top runners, then to runners on Japan's corporate athletic teams and further to ordinary runners. It was also worn by many participants in All Japan High School Ekiden in December.
"Previously, progress in the development of shoes has been from the perspective of preventing injuries," said Susumu Hara, coach of champion Aoyama Gakuin University. "This is becoming a weapon."
Aoyama Gakuin's runners mainly wore another company's shoes through last season, but this season, most members switched to the Vaporfly. The result: the school regained the Hakone Ekiden title it won in 2018 but missed out on last year.
The main drawback is that the shoes are expensive, costing about 30,000 yen a pair. That can place a big financial burden on students, and there is concern that economic disparity could affect race results.
Around the world, concern has been voiced that the shoe's capabilities might produce unfair benefits. World Athletics, the world governing body of the sport, will reportedly launch an investigation into the issue.
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