Many have jumped on the equipment trend, where running shoes with carbon plates and advanced functions have become something that exercisers spend sky-high amounts on. Brands such as Nike and Adidas have top models that have become very popular, with price tags between three and four thousand kroner.
It makes the experienced runners roll their eyes.
– When you are sponsored and get things for free, you are a bit ignorant and don’t think much about what things cost. But I get a bit backwards from the development. When I worked in a shoe store just a few years ago, the most expensive shoes cost up to NOK 2,000, says Narve Gilje Nordås to Nettavisen.
The well-known runner nevertheless points out that the quality is better and that a lot of time has been spent on innovation. However, he has noticed that more and more people think that they need the best and newest equipment at all times.
– Running is a sport for most people and it is important to preserve identity. Something that is cheaper can be just as good. You pay for quality and durability, but everything in moderation.
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Clear advice for exercisers
Gilje Nordås has a clear tip for those who spend a lot of time running, but who don’t necessarily want to spend thousands of kroner on the latest trends and most expensive shoes.
– The competition shoes are the most important and you can possibly spend a little more money on them, while the quantity shoes can be a little more affordable.
Among adult exercisers, it has become a trend to buy “super shoes” for thousands of kroner and many acquire several pairs for leisurely training, intervals and street running.
Former top athlete Ingrid Kristiansen is concerned that the trend has also become relevant for the younger generation.
– Heart rate monitors and special drinks, different shoes for every surface – completely unnecessary in my opinion. Make it easy! It has become far too commercial now. You can run everywhere with a pair of shoes, she says in an interview with Akersposten.
Kristiansen was among the world’s leading long-distance runners in the 80s. She constantly receives requests from parents, who have questions related to both advanced equipment and specific training programs. She is far from the only one concerned about the development.
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– Must keep us away
Hurdle runner Karsten Warholm points to the same challenge – that more and more parents are concerned about what shoes and equipment the younger athletes should use.
– In the exerciser market, where people might rather have spent four or five thousand on a beer every Saturday all year, or something else, I thought it was fantastic that they spend it on trainers. That running wave is amazing. What I don’t want, however, is for athletics for children and young people to become a rush for equipment, he says to Nettavisen and continues:
– We have to stay away from introducing it to children’s sports, but for the exercisers, who account for the largest part of this market, I think it is only positive.
Warholm himself is interested in the development of shoes and how these can make an impact on the running track. Among other things, he has developed a very special spiked shoe for use in this year’s competitions.
Warholm’s coach, Leif Olav Alnes, is aware that the athletes themselves help to front the latest trends and products via their sponsors. However, he is clear that it is important for both him and the sprinter himself that the equipment race does not become part of children’s sports.
Alnes thinks it is sad if the price of equipment becomes an obstacle in sports, also when it comes to athletics.
– I think athletics is actually a fairly cheap sport. It is perhaps one of the last sports where it is “man or woman versus nature”. Then we have an equipment development at the moment which means that it has become something more than an equipment sport. At the same time, the athlete is clearly the most important. I’m very happy that it won’t be Formula 1, says Alnes to Nettavisen.
Puma recently launched a newly developed spiked shoe that Warholm and Alnes have helped develop. Alnes sees that they are helping to move the development forward, but says that they are dependent on it when the rules are as they are.
– I think that in many ways I would like to run barefoot, without equipment, because then you could compare the results with those of a hundred years ago. So it’s like we’re not the ones making the rules. When the rules are like that, you have to join the race. And if we are, I will use my expertise so that we have the best equipment.
– The researcher and the scientist love these challenges, to see how we can solve it within the regulations, but the purist says that I wish we ran barefoot.
Divided opinions
Jørgen Sviland, who is behind the podcast “Is the race over?”, has had several guests who have talked about exactly running shoes and what you really need. He feels that there are divided opinions on the topic.
– Running is the world’s easiest sport and you don’t need more than a shoe that feels good on your feet before you can go out and run. Some of our guests have talked about the fact that carbon shoes can cause more injuries because there are calf muscles that are not used to the same extent, while others believe that it is something that must have and that it leads to minor injuries. There is a big difference, he tells Nettavisen.
He himself experiences that having the advanced shoes, in addition to different pairs for different occasions, increases the joy of running. At the same time, he points out that the most important thing is to actually run, not which shoes you wear and the price of these.
– If you run once or twice a week, you can do just fine with one pair of shoes. But if you run several trips, it is recommended to have a pair of shoes and change them, because it changes the load on the leg and perhaps also provides extra running pleasure, he says and continues:
– If you are going for a quick walk, it can be fun with a faster shoe, but if you are going to run a two-hour walk, it can be nice to have a pair that protects your legs.
