Holy Cross H. S. Track & Field: Shoes

Athletes and their parents who are new to the sport of track & field often wonder what types of shoes are needed and where they can be purchased. First, there are no rules or regulations about what type of footwear must be worn. As long as they don’t damage the track or runway or throwing circle, any shoes or sneakers could be worn. But realistically, for those track & field athletes who are serious about their sport, there are two different types of shoes they need: training shoes and competition shoes.

TRAINING SHOES are relatively heavy, well cushioned athletic shoes used for everyday practice. They can be purchased at general sporting good stores such as Dicks, Sports Authority, Modell’s, Foot Locker, etc. But be aware that for runners, not all training shoes are designed the same. Runners fall into three general categories depending upon how their feet strike the ground when running:

"Over-Pronators" should have motion control training shoes;
"Neutral Pronators" should have stability training shoes; and
"Under-Pronators" should have highly cushioned training shoes.

See this running shoe terminology page for a good explanation.

Unfortunately, many salespeople in the general sporting goods stores don’t know about those differences. If that is an important consideration, there are two better choices:
Go to a specialty running shoe store, such as Haddonfield Running Company (in Haddonfield) or Fleet Feet (in Marlton); or
Log on to one of the many running shoe websites such as M+F Athletic or Eastbay or Road Runner Sports (there are lots of others).

For those who aren’t really sure what they need, we recommend going to one of the specialty running shoe stores. They may be a little more expensive compared to the general sporting good stores or the internet sites, but the extra $10 or so you will pay per pair of shoes is usually money well spent for their expertise and personal service.

TIP - take an old pair of running shoes with you to the specialty running shoe store. The salespeople (who are actually runners!) will look at the wear pattern on the soles of the old shoes and help you choose a new pair based on the way you actually run. Internet sites usually have a great selection and great prices, but of course the shoes can’t be tried on before they are purchased (but many sites have a return policy if they don’t fit well). Some athletes buy their shoes at specialty shoe stores and once they find a pair of shoes they like, use the internet to save some money the next season.

COMPETITION SHOES - In comparison to Training shoes, Competition shoes are relatively light, with little or no cushioning. This type of shoe is built for maximum speed or height or distance. There are different types of competition shoes for runners and for field athletes.

For Runners – there are two basic types of competition shoes:

Racing Flats - lightweight running shoes with rubber soles. These are used primarily for indoor track and cross country, but some distance runners use them for track too; and

Spikes - lightweight running shoes with metal spikes screwed into the soles. The metal spikes provide traction for better speed. There are both "sprint spikes," with little to no padding, and "distance spikes," with some padding.

For Field Athletes – there are several types of competition shoes depending upon the type of event.

High Jump and Pole Vault – most competitors wear flats – either models made specifically for the jumps or just running flats. A few wear running spikes, but it is generally discouraged because the spikes can damage the expensive high jump and pole vault pads, and they sometimes cause injuries to the athlete during the jump (they spike themselves when landing).

Long Jump and Triple Jump – most wear standard running spikes.

Discus and Shot Put – competitors in these two events spin or glide on a concrete circle as they throw, so their competition shoes are a specialty shoe having very smooth soles.

Javelin – is a unique event in that the thrower runs full speed up to throwing arc, and then stops suddenly and throws. Since in almost all cases, the javelin runway is grass, the area right in front of the throwing arc becomes bare and slippery.  To help them stop, javelin throwers typically wear spiked shoes with very long spikes, up to 1”. Although there are specialty javelin shoes, some throwers just use running spikes, replacing the shorter metal running spikes with longer metal javelin spikes.

Unlike Training shoes, Competition shoes are usually only available from specialty running shoe stores or online.  Although many general sporting goods stores advertise and sell “Running Shoes,” these are usually training shoes, not competition shoes.  Compeition shoes for field events (especially shot and discus) are even harder to find - the best bet is to find them online.

TRACK & FIELD SHOE ACCESSORIES

Spikes - Although there are lots of different sizes and styles, the runners on our team usually only need to have three different types of metal spikes for their competition running shoes: 1/8” spikes, 1/4” spikes, and 1/2” spikes.  Most spikes come in two basic shapes: "pins" which are needle-like, and "pyramids" which are more cone-shaped.

The 1/8” spikes typically come in pins. These spikes are very small, don’t provide much traction and are hard to remove from the shoes, and so many runners don't like them. Unfortunately, their use is being "mandated" more and more since they don't damage the expensive synthetic tracks as much as longer spikes.  But at some such meets, athletes sometimes use the longer ¼” spikes anyway since most times the track officials don’t check spike length.  We're not saying that's right, that's just what we've seen...

The ¼” spikes come in pins, but the pyramid version has pretty much become the “standard  spike" if there is such a thing (most spiked running shoes come with ¼” pyramid spikes when purchased). These are the preferred size spikes on most synthetic tracks, if allowed (see above).

The ½” spikes come only in pyramids. As more and more tracks are converted from cinders to an all-weather synthetic surface, ½” spikes are becoming a thing of the past.  Many teams don’t even have them. But for our team, with a home track of cinders (one of only a very few left in the area), they are very important as the longer ½” spikes give an advantage over the ¼” spikes on cinders.  Because they are so long, they sometimes bother some runners, so they should experiment with different configurations to find what suites them best (e.g. some runners use ½” spikes only in the holes closest to the toe of the shoe with shorter 1/4" spikes in the middle, other use ½” spikes in all holes. Find out what works best - but don’t wait until race day!)

Our coaches have an assortment of 1/8”, 1/4”, and 1/2” spikes, so if the athletes need any, all they have to do is ask. Since spikes are small, they are easy to lose.  They can be kept in zip lock bags, camera film canisters, or old prescription medicine bottles. They should be changed out depending on the type of track, or if they wear down (which they will over time). Changing out spikes is never fun, but it can make a real difference in performance.

Spike Wrenches - The spike wrenches used to remove and install spikes that are provided with spiked running shoes when you buy them tend to be worthless – it doesn’t take much pressure to strip the little slot that the spike fits in. A small pair of vice-grip type pliers (available at hardware stores) usually works wonders (except on the small 1/8” spikes).

Running Socks – Running socks greatly reduce the chance of developing blisters while using running shoes.  We've had athletes in the past who had sub par seasons because they developed blisters in the first meet of the year, and since we have such a hectic schedule (one or more meet per week), their feet never had a chance to heal the entire season.  Running socks will help prevent that. If the athlete doesn’t like how the socks look, they can buy the “low cut” or “no show” types which can hardly be seen. Just as with the shoes themselves, socks used for competition should be thin and lightweight.  Try the thin, light, polypropyelene socks sold at speciality running shoe stores, rather than the thick, cushiony cotton ones typically sold at general sporting good stores.

Heel Cups – If there is not enough cushioning in the training or competition shoes and the athlete’s heels start to hurts from the constant pounding, a pair of heel cups might help. These have gel or other type of padding to provide cushioning. Heel cups can be purchased at many sporting goods or shoe stores.