Carbon fiber shoes for better performances

3 min readNov 2, 2020

Nike Carbon plate coated running shoes. Source- Internet

When it comes to better athletic performances, sports ware is also important like athlete’s performances. For the better performance of competitive running, carbon fiber plates are increasingly used into the midsole of running shoes. Carbon fiber (CF) is a composite material of carbon atoms with polymer base. Carbon should be comprised of 92–99% of the total weight and the diameter should be 5–10 micro meters. CF is basically used in the civil engineering, aircraft and automotive industry for its strength and light weighted characteristics. (1)

Nike introduced the new age of running shoes with their Breaking2 project. With their laboratory conditions and Nike Vaporfly 4%, the two-hour marathon distance mark on fall 2017. The previous year, the world witnessed a historic record by Eliud Kipchoge in vienna, who was wearing CF-plated shoes. (2)

How carbon-plates make a runner faster? The sports ware manufacturers believe that the technology is superior than the traditional running shoes. The aim of the CF plate is to keep the shoe remain flexible, when running. The CF-plate coated shoes are comfortable for runner’s legs. This plate also helps to keep the toes straight and also reduce energy loss. Nike claimed that the Vaporfly 4% required an average of 4% less energy for running compared with the traditional shoes. (3)

Right now, six CF-plate coated running shoes in the market and more are coming on the way: the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%, Nike Zoom Fly 3, Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit, Hoka One One Carbon X, Hoka One One Carbon Rocket and New Balance FuelCell 5280. As early mentioned, these shoes are different in design as well as purpose. Before buying running shoes, some factors should be considered like running pace, race distance as well as running mechanics. If don’t then the result might be different. (4)

The environmental cost of CF-coated shoes is high, actually really high.In a study conducted by MIT, a typical pair of running shoes produces 13.6 kilograms of CO2 emissions. It’s not surprising that manufacturing is the reason behind this bulk of emissions. Plastic is the main elements of the typical running shoes. And the definition of plastic is ninety-nine percent of petroleum. Petroleum enriched plastics include polyester, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). (5)

References:

1. The Implementation of Carbon Fibre in Running Shoes ( 12th March, 2020)

Carbon fibre (CF) can refer to ….purpose of its use. retrieved from

https://www.tecquipment.com/knowledge/2020/the-implementation-of-carbon-fibre-in-running-shoes

2. Lau, Jan RUNNING SHOES WITH CARBON FIBRE PLATE — WHAT IS BEHIND THE TREND?

The story behind the running shoes with carbon fibre plate, retrieved from:

https://www.keller-sports.com/guide/running-shoes-with-carbon-fibre-plate

3. Graham, Debbi ( February 10th, 2020) Carbon-fibre plates in run shoes: what they are, how they work and whether they’re worth the hype.

How do carbon-plates make you a faster runner? retrieved from:

https://www.220triathlon.com/gear/run/run-shoes/carbon-fibre-plates-in-run-shoes-what-they-are-how-they-work-and-whether-theyre-worth-the-hype/

4. Smith, Corry ( 8th January,2020) Science Says Carbon Fiber Shoes Mean Faster Times, but Can They Work for You?

In total, six carbon fiber running shoes……. day on the lake. retrieved from: