<p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/thescienceofsport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Join the Real Science of Sport Supporters club,</strong></a> and get access to the sports science community where at least one person (usually many more) knows the answer to every question you can possibly ask! Plus, engage on news, training, diet, and other sports science related topics with fellow listeners! A <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/thescienceofsport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>small monthly pledge makes you a Supporter</strong></a>, and the Science of Sport Community awaits!</p><br><p><strong><u>Show notes</u></strong></p><br><p>Today on the Spotlight, we kick off with a chat about whether your running shoes are causing injuries (4:24). This, after a former elite runner has sued Nike for an injury she claims was the result of running in carbon fiber plated footwear. Ross and Gareth talk about the complexity of running injuries, why proving a single cause is a near-impossible task, but why the claim is not necessarily a total no-hoper, given what we know about injury and these particular shoes. We look back at some precedents, sort of, where shoe companies have settled after claims, but with some very important subtle differences.</p><br><p>We then shift to Track and Field for a pair of stories (32:29). World Athletics crowned their Athletes of the Year this week, with Mondo Duplantis and Sydeny McLaughlin-Levrone taking the overall honours. We throw some praise Mondo's way, and not because he's virtually unbeatable and playing with the World Record. We also discuss Grand Slam Track, which is surely in its final days after the depth of its latest financial hole were announced, and Track and Field Athletics, whose supposed demise may have been greatly exaggerated (37:23)</p><br><p>We finish with a couple of contact sports stories. Ross co-authored a paper he thinks could transform how Rugby Union handles contact training to minimize head impacts (47:40). And we spotlight listener Petulant Skeptic, whose insights on infections and hand-washing in hospitals shed light on Guardian caps and reducing concussion risk (58:39).</p><br><p>Oh, And Finally, Ross has a tale about a mattress that will do things you simply won't believe. Or at least, you shouldn't!</p><br><p><strong><u>Links to some articles</u></strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Former <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yua8mfsk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">elite runner sues Nike after being injured in Alphaflys</a></li><li>It's not all frivolous - this <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36780101/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">paper suggests a possible injury risk</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254624000607" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Injuries are multifactorial and very complex as this Umbrella Review makes clear</a></li><li>One of the papers I published with Dr Nic Tam on barefoot running, showing that even <a href="https://tinyurl.com/rve848zh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">8 weeks of supervised progression didn't turn us all into smooth barefoot runners</a>, and may thus increase injury risk for many</li><li><a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20783252/vibram-settles-class-action-lawsuit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vibram settled</a> - not for causing injury, but for false claims</li><li><a href="doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02359-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reducing full contact training in Rugby barely reduces head impacts</a> in elite men's players - the paper we discussed</li><li>The <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ybud4ebu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">outstanding post by Petulant Skeptic</a> on what infection and handwashing may tell us about Guardian caps</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>