Do carbon shoes make a difference?

There now seems little doubt that carbon plate shoes do make runners more efficient and help them log faster times, with scientific studies and a vast amount of anecdotal evidence from pro and amateur runners attesting to that. Not all carbon shoes are created equal , though, and it seems that some runners respond more to the shoes than others.

What does the carbon plate in running shoes do?

Carbon plate running shoes usually have a large stack of soft, bouncy foam in the midsole, and the plate helps stabilise that foam. It also helps to return energy with each footstrike, creating an efficient transition onto your toes and then propelling you on your way.

What are the key features of carbon plate running shoes?

For the most part, carbon shoes have a high stack of midsole foam with a full length carbon plate running through it. In shoes used for official racing, this foam stack can be no higher than 40mm according to World Athletics regulations. There are some shoes that go as high as 50mm, though these are mainly designed to be used in training. Advances in foam technology have been just as important to creating modern super-shoes as the plate. The foams are very bouncy and very lightweight, which means they protect the legs and boost energy return without making the shoe too heavy to race in. The midsole is where all the key tech of a carbon shoe is found. The uppers are usually designed to be as lightweight as possible while holding the foot securely, and outsole rubber is also kept to a minimum to provide grip without adding much weight.

What are the different types of carbon plate running shoes?

The Nike Vaporfly, which kicked off the carbon trend, and the super-shoes that initially followed it were built purely for road racing at any distance. Since then, several categories of carbon shoes have emerged. There are carbon shoes designed for long-distance road races such as the marathon and beyond, and these are more cushioned and heavier than carbon shoes specifically built for shorter events like 5K and 10K. There are now also carbon plate trail-running shoes for off-road races, and many brands also sell plated shoes for training. These sometimes don’t have carbon plates, instead using nylon or TPU, or a mix of those materials with carbon, in order to be more comfortable for regular training runs.

What shoes do the fastest elite runners wear?

If you watch elites race regularly you could be forgiven for thinking only Adidas and Nike make carbon shoes, since their sponsored runners dominate the podiums. Eliud Kipchoge is the fastest marathoner of all time, and he used the Nike Alphafly NEXT% 2 to set the world record in Berlin in 2022. Adidas and Nike do make brilliant carbon shoes, but just picking up what the likes of Kipchoge wear is not necessarily the best idea. Having the marketing budget to sponsor the best runners in the world doesn’t necessarily mean they make the best shoes. That said, we do think Nike makes the best shoes, for now at least.

If the shoes are designed for the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, do normal runners also benefit?

Elite runners like Eliud Kipchoge are not only a lot faster than the average runner but they may have differences in their gait. So we asked Bret Schoolmeester, global senior director at Nike, whether carbon shoes built for the best runners in the world deliver equal benefits to normal people. “There’s some data to suggest that there is a difference here and there, but actually the exciting thing for us is that there are a lot of unknowns about how much people respond to the shoe,” says Schoolmeester. “Early days, looking at biomechanics studies and efficiency studies, [with the Vaporfly] everyone responded—it was just how much. We’re constantly exploring what dictates why someone might get a bigger response than others. “The thing we take heart in is that these shoes have given a more enjoyable experience to all runners. If you compare it with running a marathon in flats, very few people could get away with it. All the studies we have show people are getting a benefit, just to varying levels.”

How much more can carbon shoes improve given the World Athletics limits?

In official events, road racing shoes are now limited to a stack height of 40mm and can only have one carbon plate in the midsole. Most top carbon shoes already hit these limits, so how much more can shoes improve? “Both in terms of the raw ingredients and how we can process them to use them more optimally, there’s still plenty we can do,” says Schoolmeester. “In the Vaporfly 3 we’re processing the ZoomX in a slightly different way in the last stages of the foam, which has [enabled us] to optimize the same base compound even further. There’s quite a bit of room to run in that. We still think we can go further with how we optimize the plate too.”

Do carbon plate running shoes cause injury?

Carbon shoes are very stiff and, by design, change your running gait a little. While there’s no established evidence they cause injury, many runners at all levels are wary of using them too much. They’re also quite unstable because of the soft foam used, which can cause problems for runners who overpronate; they would be better off with one of the best stability shoes .

What are the downsides of carbon plate running shoes?

Along with the possibility of an increased risk of injury if you use them too much, partly because they are quite unstable, the main downsides of carbon plate shoes are that they are very expensive and usually not the most durable.

How long do carbon shoes last?

That depends on both the shoe and the runner, but in general carbon shoes are less durable than training shoes. If you tend to get 300-500 miles from a pair of training shoes, you’re likely looking at 200-300 miles from a carbon shoe before it’s past its best – though it will still be usable after that. Carbon shoes are less durable largely because they have thinner uppers and outsoles that show wear faster, but the midsoles can also compress and lose some of their spring. This happens in all shoes, but in your racing shoe you want the best performance, so many runners will relegate a carbon shoe to training use after a couple of hundred miles and get a fresher pair for racing.

Why are carbon plate running shoes so expensive?

The price of carbon shoes has been high since the original Nike Vaporfly and has only been increasing since – the latest shoes from Nike and Saucony cost around $280/£280 at RRP. The shoes tend to have brands’ latest and best technology in them, and a lot of research goes into making them. The materials involved might also be pricier than those used for standard training shoes, but the high price is also down to demand – serious runners are prepared to pay top dollar for a premium product. However, the market is now saturated with carbon shoes and older versions are regularly in sales, including some of the best available like the Nike Vaporfly NEXT% 2 and Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 . Even as the price of new releases continues to rise, carbon shoes in general are now more accessible and cheaper than they’ve ever been.

Best Carbon Plate Running Shoes 2023

Included in this guide:

Nike

Vaporfly 3

Black Friday Deals

US Deals

UK Deals

How I Test Carbon Plate Running Shoes

The Best Carbon Plate Running Shoes

1. Nike Vaporfly 3

Specifications

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Nike Vaporfly 3 Video Review

2. Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2

Specifications

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

3. Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro

Specifications

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

4. Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2

Specifications

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid