Camille Herron On Carbon-Plated Shoes: “Feel Like Bricks!”

a while chatting about how to introduce carbon-fiber tech the 24-hour women’s world record Nutrition - Weight Loss 48-Races - Places of 271 miles last weekend. But on Twitter yesterday, she said that her latest record-smashing race didn’t include carbon-plated shoes—and for good reason.

“[C]arbon plated shoes become really painful at slower paces and running more on your heels. Feel like bricks!” explained Herron after a Twitter user asked why she’d opted out of wearing a super shoe in her latest race, which she ran at an average pace of 10:39 per mile. “Bruce [and] I wore carbon plated shoes for both my 24Hr World Records. So much foot pain! Had to change shoes 3 times during my first 24Hr WR- lost time. The second 24Hr WR, it felt like I had fractured bones in my feet,” she added.

Herron’s not the only runner who’s reconsidering her relationship with super shoes. The vast majority of carbon-fiber plate research has been conducted on athletes competing at an elite level rather than everyday runners who squeeze in a few miles before work. A recent paper even found that carbon-plated technology host Kara Goucher and Des Linden spent and hinder those with a lower running economy. Plus, while (again) the research is thin, some experts believe that super shoes may Camille Herron Shatters 48-Hour World Record.

Still, “Should I super shoe or should I not?” is a question that will likely continue the running world for many years to come. On a recent episode of, Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara, host Kara Goucher and Des Linden spent The Secret Solution to Knee Pain While Running to youth athletes. While it’s a tricky decision that all parents must make on their own, the two agreed that it’s natural for young runners to be curious about a technology that’s no doubt changing their sport. And if that incites more excitement for lacing up and getting out there—then so be it.

However, in the absence of robust research, many runners have concluded that wearing super shoes is a highly personal decision that requires trial and error (an experiment that, given the price of these techy sneakers, ain’t cheap).