Lightweight
Made with synthetic material and generally sporting copious amounts of mesh material, track shoes are made to be as lightweight as possible.
Spikes
One of the most apparent characteristic of track shoes are their spiked cleats, which are used to provide traction during a race.
Sprint Plates
Sprint shoes feature aggressively rigid platforms in the sole to effectively transfer power from the athlete to the running surface.
Forefoot Emphasis
Unlike other runners, sprinters and hurdlers run primarily on their forefoot, so most track shoes feature supportive spike plates in the area in front of the shoe's arch.
Taper
Many track shoes taper, meaning that their toes that turn up rather than lie flat on the ground, which encourages runners to run on their forefoot.
Article Written By Billy Brown
Billy Brown is an outdoor sports writer living in Northern California.
An avid rock climber and trail runner, he's been writing about outdoor activities, fitness and gear since 2005. He regularly contributes to "The Record Searchlight," uncooped.com, and Trails.com, as well as other print and online publications. Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Simpson University and is a NASM-certified personal trainer.
