Carbon plate running shoes—also known as super shoes—are giving a boost to runners everywhere, from the starting line at your local 5K to the Boston Marathon. Most notably, you’ll see them on the feet of marathoners competing in Paris at the Summer Olympics.
When Nike released the first carbon plate shoe, the Vaporfly 4%, in 2017, it was arguably the biggest breakthrough in distance-running technology since the waffle racers that helped launch the brand in the ’70s. With its high foam stacks and a carbon-fiber plate running through the midsole, the Vaporfly promised runners a 4% increase in performance over regular running shoes. With such a bold claim, the shoes just barely skirted a ban at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Now, thanks to super shoes’ lightweight build and bouncy soles, every major shoe company is making its own version, and for roughly $250 (about $100 more than our running-shoe picks, on average), you can snag a pair too. But what are they, and do you need them?
