technology

By now I had hoped to have interviewed Danny Abshire, man behind the revolutionary Newton running shoes and be inundating you with technical detail, the story of the seven patents behind them, a podcast and so on... but things have got in the way.

Make sure you check what Kenyan Joseph Sitienei runs at Boston. The 32-year-old Kenyan sub 2:20 marathoner is the most well-known of a clutch of athletes who plan to run in the banned Spira shoes that feature energy-return springs in the heels and forefoot.

The move comes hard on the heels of news that Spira Footwear has filed a lawsuit against the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and the United States Association of Track and Field (USATF), alleging that their Rule 143 -- which allegedly bans spring technology -- is a restraint on trade.

Runners who have used the shoes claim that they don't necessarily improve times, but are just mroe comfortable. However, thsoe claims took a knock recently when, as Spira reports: "Keith Pierce, a track coach from Krum, Texas, and a US Olympic trials hopeful, competed in the shoe at the 2007 Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas. He won the race by over 12 minutes."