The secret weapon

Looking to crush it at the next 10k? Well, Nike, in conjunction with researchers at the University of Colorado have your secret weapon: the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%.

Also known as the 4%s, the shoes were shown in studies to reduce the energetic output of runners by 4 percent. Sure, that may not seem like a lot, but researchers say it could mean the holy grail of a sub two-hour marathon.

To wit, Shalane Flanagan won the New York City Marathon this month wearing the state-of-the-art racing flats. The 4%s, which boast a carbon-fiber midsole, were also worn by this year’s New York Marathon men’s winner Geoffrey Kamworor.

The good news for regular shlubs is that better results were across the board. The findings were the same at all the speeds, according to the study.

But before you shell out the $250 price tag, you might want to consider if it’s worth shaving a few milliseconds off your time. That is, unless you’re an Olympian.