Are Super Shoes Unethical? Philosopher Sabrina Little on the Fairness of Super Shoes
Release Date: 10/17/2024
The Strength Running Podcast
Sara Hall has been competing at the highest level for nearly 30 years. She was the 2000 high school national cross country champion before earning 7-time All-America honors at Stanford University. Not only has she won 10 US National Championship titles, but she’s the only American to win national titles in both the mile and the marathon. Her incredible range is also demonstrated by her gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in the steeplechase, while also being the second fastest American female marathoner with a time of 2:20:32. She was previously on the podcast when I interviewed 5...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
Coach turned around a struggling Newbury Park high school cross country team that hadn't qualified for a State Championship in 25 years. Soon, they had won three consecutive National Championships. How did he do it? Sean shares the psychological and physical strategies he used to instill belief, develop fitness, and build the bond between teammates. His all-in, often unorthodox approach, raised eyebrows but undeniably got incredible results. Himself a distinguished endurance runner, Sean was a collegiate All-American in both cross country and track and holds a personal best of 3:44.33 in the...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
What are the most effective recovery strategies for runners? In this episode, Jason distills his 15+ years of coaching and 27 years of running experience into the most important lessons about the recovery process. Hindsight is 20/20! For more on recovery, download our free and you'll hear advice from 9 elite athletes including Dathan Ritzenhein, Amelia Boone, and more. Thank you for listening and subscribing to the Strength Running Podcast! Thank you Previnex! After resisting most supplements for the better part of my life, I’m cautiously changing my tune. I’m now a Masters runner and in...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
Phil Batterson is a competitive runner, former running coach, and the founder of Critical Oxygen. Phil has a PhD in human bioenergetics and a love for all sorts of endurance sports, from rowing to track and field and ultras. His goal with Critical Oxygen is to teach athletes and coaches how to optimize their physiology to maximize endurance performance. This episode is important and is a repost of episode 330 from 2023. Phil breaks down some of the complex physiology behind the three different thresholds to make it more accessible, as well as providing practical ways to apply it in training....
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
Dan joins us on the podcast today: a runner who recently improved his marathon from 3:38 to 3:08. In this conversation, Dan shares what he did to improve by a massive 30 minutes over 26.2 miles. But what if he wants to keep going? What if Dan wants to run another 30 minutes faster and start flirting with a sub-2:40 marathon? We'll cover what training changes need to happen to break 3 and run a much more competitive marathon finish time. Thanks to Dan for coming on the podcast and sharing his story! More resources: Thank you Previnex! After resisting most supplements for the...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
is a 7x All-American in the steeplechase and 5,000m, national champion, Drake Relays 3,000m steeplechase champion, and 2x Olympic Trials qualifier. Annie is also one of the few pro runners to come from a Division III school. In this episode, we discuss her path to going pro: The evolution of her career from college to now Her experience with the new pro team Meridia How she trains today (mileage levels, long runs, etc.) Her approach to double workouts in one day How she manages energy and caffeine for 8:30pm races A lot more! You can support her team Meridia by registering for their virtual...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
When you get a new smart watch, heart rate monitor, or other type of wearable, do you know how it will help your running, specifically? is a health and performance researcher, consultant, and coach who’s worked with many professional sports organizations across Europe. He joins us today to discuss the science behind wearable tech. We discuss: The wearable stack that Peter recommends Most important metrics to focus on Recommended hardware (specific products) What you can safely ignore Why the actual metric may not be as important as the trend over time Peter first joined the...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
Runners are heat training more often with saunas, hot tubs, and hot weather runs. How much do we need to realize the full benefits of heat training? What are the best options and how do we structure it into our training? In this episode, coach Jason Fitzgerald shares how to think about heat training from duration to frequency to type of heat training. Resources: article Thanks Boulderthon! is a top 10 race in America according to USA Today and one of the best fall marathons according to Runner’s World. With a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon, Boulderthon offers an...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
Dr. Philip Skiba is a physician, performance consultant for the Breaking 2 project, coach to dozens of world class athletes, and author of . Phil is a world-class expert on running physiology and how to race faster. His groundbreaking research into Critical Power, Critical Speed, and the "W Prime" model of fatigue help the best runners in the world plan their training. And the best coaches seek him out for guidance. In this conversation, we discuss: How to determine and improve your "critical speed" His work with Avelo (get your pair of !) The under-discussed "battery" of speed...
info_outlineThe Strength Running Podcast
holds the American record in the 10-mile and is the former half-marathon and marathon American record holder. Her new book, , is now available for preorder. She was a 4x All-American at American University in both Cross Country and Track but took about a decade off from running seriously in her 20's and 30's. Keira joined us on the to discuss her comeback to running. Now, she's back to discuss what that comeback looked like and how she made it happen. Keira and Jason discuss: Her mental relationship with running How it felt not being able to jog to the end of her street...
info_outlineDo super shoes give runners who use them an unfair advantage? Do they make it impossible to compare modern finish times with earlier performances?
Sabrina Little is a trail and ultra runner, formerly a professional runner for HOKA. She has won 5 national titles and a World silver medal, she previously held American records in the 24-hour and 200K, and she was 2013 USATF Ultrarunner of the Year.
Sabrina earned her doctorate in Philosophy and teaches ethics at Christopher Newport University.
We talk about:
- The ethical concerns of super shoes
- Sabrina’s lack of satisfaction post-5k due to wearing super shoes
- The distortion between effort and outcome when wearing super shoes
- The nuance of fairness and privilege as they relate to super shoes
- The need for clear shoe technology definitions and regulations to maintain the “spirit of sport”
- Why runners and coaches need to advocate for the intrinsic value of running
Continue the super shoes conversation by sending this episode to a friend with your thoughts.
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Sabrina on X/Twitter
- Sabrina on Instagram
- Sabrina's book, The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners
- Find Sabrina Little on Strava
- Want to learn more about super shoes? Tune into episode 227 with biomechanics and sport science PhD Geoff Burns.
- Hear from top track, road, and ultra runners on how they stay healthy.
Thank you DrinkLMNT!
A big thanks to DrinkLMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at DrinkLMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best.
DrinkLMNT's products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.
If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.
Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out DrinkLMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.
Thank you to 2Before!
We are supported by 2Before, a powerful sports supplement made from New Zealand Blackcurrants designed to increase endurance, manage inflammation, support immunity, and promote adaptation. 2Before helps to boost performance by increasing blood flow, making it more efficient for the body to pump oxygenated nutrient-rich blood into the muscles.
So, if you want to try to boost your performance and immune system, use code JASON for 30% off 20 packs and multi-serve packs at 2Before.com.
Thank you to 2Before for supporting Strength Running!