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Comment by einarfd | Hacker News Reader

As a runner I want shoes to get more efficient and better. What is about todays running shoe that makes them acceptable, and that anything better is some form of cheating? I don't agree with what they did in swimming, those body suits where amazing, and that they got banned was really sad. But even if you agree with banning them. Shoes in running are a not comparable to full body swimming suits. Shoes are an central part of running, the swimming suit is not that in swimming. If you ban improvement on something so core to running as the shoes, what is left to innovate on?

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Because the sport is better for everyone if you aren't required to buy $250 shoes to have a chance to win. It's the same with the swim suits. If a new piece of equipment comes out that makes you 5% more efficient, then anyone who wants a chance to actually compete needs to buy it. It's just like a tax on competitors.

Otherwise running and swimming would just turn into cycling where you are basically forced to buy an expensive bike to compete.

No one other than a small group of elite athletes is ever expected to win a marathon, it's mainly a race against yourself.

Not when it comes to boston qualifying, or running scholarships.

> Shoes are an central part of running, the swimming suit is not that in swimming

A Speedo vs a Short is a very big difference in swimming. Shaving body hair is a thing males at the high school level are doing.

I wasn't arguing that there isn't significant drag in water, and to be able to win swimming competitions you need to care about that to. But I have a hard time accepting that swimming shorts, is to swimming as shoes are to running.

> But I have a hard time accepting that swimming shorts, is to swimming as shoes are to running.

Oh, it's huge. These new "tech" suits are big and you now see them in competitions for young kids. Some states have banned them for the under-10 groups, other have not.

These things are so ridiculous. They can cost hundreds of dollars, they take 5-10 minutes just to put on, and they wear out after wearing them 10-15 times.

What's the whole point of sports competition in the first place if the thing that makes the difference is a simple layout of $250?

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