This paper examines the effect of carbon plated “super shoes” on the performance of elite male marathoners. Prototypes of these carbon plated shoes with extraordinary cushioning were used beginning in 2016, and became widely available in 2017. In order to quantify the effect of these shoes on elite athletes, we analyzed data on the number of athletes who ran a marathon in under 2 : 08 : 00 each year from 1985 through 2021. A multiple linear regression model was constructed that controlled for the non-“super shoe” related upward time trend in the number of sub-2 : 08 times, utilizing a Cochrane-Orcutt transformation to correct for autocorrelation. This model shows that this new shoe technology is responsible for an additional roughly 24 additional sub-2 : 08 times per year. Estimated from this, we find a shoe-related time reduction of 1 minute and 31 seconds, or a 1.174% decrease in time.
Bjorkelo et al. (Fri,) studied this question.