Carbon Plate Running Shoes

A stiff carbon-fiber plate (or set of rods) set into the midsole, almost always paired with a soft, high-rebound foam. The plate stabilizes the foam and levers you through toe-off. Nike's Vaporfly 4% started the supershoe era in 2017, and now every major brand makes one. World Athletics caps road racing shoes at 40mm of stack, so some of these, like the 50mm Prime X, aren't race-legal.