Joshua Cheptegei, Nike and the rise of technology in running

As Joshua Cheptegei closed in on a staggering 10,000m men’s world record (26:11) on Wednesday there was an unmistakable blur of lime green painting the Ugandan’s path towards greatness.

The 24-year-old snatched the standard at the meeting in Valencia to complement his equally astonishing 5,000m feat months earlier (12:35). A colossal night for athletics was complete after Ethiopian and fellow Nike athlete Letesenbet Gidey had earlier seized supremacy in the women’s 5,000m (14:06).

It confirmed a new dawn for the sport, which has been forced to adapt like no other in 2020 in the age of Covid-19, bruised by the postponement of the Olympic Games and deprived of a major championship. Athletes have refused to allow their training to go to waste though, with glorified time trialling and technology providing intrigue from the public to temporarily replace fierce competition and the lure of medals.

The gripping spectacle of NN’s ‘World Record Day’ saw many eyes drawn to the feet of Cheptegei, who took six seconds off Kenenisa Bekele’s previous record, which had stood for 15 years. The lime green swoosh is the signature of the new ZoomX Dragonfly spikes, which Nike hope will revolutionise the track in the same way that the Alphafly has done for Eliud Kipchoge on the road in the marathon. They contain a full-length plate and a revolutionary foam known as Pebax, with the sportswear giant boasting that they are the “fastest shoes ever”.

Cheptegei also followed a series of flashing lights on the perimeter of the infield known as Wavelight technology. While this is undoubtedly informative for viewers at home, it is also clearly an advantage for today’s athletes when looking to dial in a desired pace.

The ghost of Bekele’s 2005 effort then, in the form of neon green lights, failed to escape Cheptegei’s metronome-like rhythm, but now, with Tokyo on the horizon, a debate over technology and fairness lingers.

“The main thing for me is I’m happy with what I wear,” explains Jake Wightman,  a New Balance athlete who ran the second fastest British 1,500m of all time in Monaco two months ago. “I never feel like I’m at a disadvantage because the spikes I wear are as good as I could ask for.

“I believe a spike is a spike, you will get minimal advantages from that. The hard work is done away from what footwear you’re wearing, in training or in the gym.

“So if you go in with the mindset that it’s unfair, you’re already putting yourself at a disadvantage. I think it’s different on the roads, but I don’t think in my events it makes that big of an impact.

“I think it’s bad now that when athletes go out and do something great, people will point to the shoes. Why can’t you celebrate the physical achievement?

“Even if Cheptegei got a little advantage, he still ran 26-low, it’s still ridiculously quick. We’ll never know what people can run without them now, so you can’t compare. But I don’t see a problem with it. It’s fair to a point, they are just spikes.”

Many may presume Wednesday’s statement performance will prove daunting for Sir Mo Farah, also sponsored by Nike, and his sensational return to the track next year. But with Farah’s 10,000m PB noticeably slower than Cheptegei’s at 26:46, can he still compete at 37 years old?

Wightman, who has ambitions to double up in Tokyo, as Farah has done previously, after also setting a PB in the 800m last month (1:44.18), believes the occasion and presence of the four-time Olympic champion could unsettle the new world record holder.

“Mo won his championships against guys who weren’t of the same calibre as Cheptegei,” Wightman admits. “But every time we see Mo, he’s always ready to win a race.

“I feel that whenever he steps onto the start line he’ll be in good enough shape and Cheptegei, I’m guessing, will feel the presence of Mo. Nobody can doubt the pedigree he has. It’s unknown how good he’ll be on the track.

“It’ll be interesting. What better test for Mo? If he comes back and doesn’t beat Cheptegei then he knows he came out at the right time. But if he wins, then even better, he’s probably be the greatest distance runner of all time. Either way I don’t see a downside to it now and I’d love to see it.”