Beth Potter’s brilliant performance epitomises dilemma facing fans over super shoes

After the Scot won the Podium 5k last weekend in Lancashire in an unofficial world record, Jack Rathborn examines the contrasting reaction in the athletics world

Beth Potter ran 14:41 at the Podium 5K last weekend (Instagram/bethpotter91)

The endearing shock painted across Beth Potter’s face spoke volumes about the Scot’s stunning performance at last Saturday’s Podium 5km in Barrowford.

Potter, in a small corner of Lancashire, executed the run of her life to break the tape in 14:41. The thrill of obliterating her previous best by 43 seconds was mixed with confusion however, having also shaved two seconds off Beatrice Chepkoech’s world record time - though sadly it is unlikely to be ratified under World Athletics regulations due to no drug testers present

“I thought it was a joke,” Potter told Athletics Weekley after processing what had occurred. Potter was “shell-shocked” and her instinct was to even question whether the clock had broken.

While many lauded Potter for her sensational run, which also bettered Paula Radcliffe’s UK record of 14:51, others immediately made the association between the runner and her footwear: the Asics Metaspeed Sky, which could emerge as a serious rival to Nike’s Alphafly and Vapourfly Next%.

And therein lies the problem for fans of this sport, an uncomfortable conundrum between celebrating the beauty of the sport and subconsciously wondering how much credit should be attributed to the shoes.

Read more:

Jake Wightman, the art of racing and why the impact of ‘super spikes’ is overblown

Potter’s staggering progress, like so many others, is surprising on the surface given her previous PB, but makes sense when considering her inactivity due to Covid-19, which has deprived most from being able to track just who is primed for that breakout display.

Great Britain’s Jake Wightman said as much to The Independent last month, while downplaying quite how revolutionary the shoes are: “It’s not like you put them on and there are flames coming out of the back that will propel you along.”

In this unprecedented time there are so many athletes who have been able to train in a stealth-like manner, banking gains without the interruption of tapering for races.

Potter, indeed, is famed for her relentless work ethic, having also thrived in the world of triathlon off the back of as many as 14 sessions across the three disciplines per week, not including strength and conditioning and yoga - totally up to 30 hours of training.

But as the countdown to the Tokyo Olympics continues, Potter will be one of many athletes tasked with coping with negativity surrounding their success. She even admitted to the Telegraph that it has been “hurtful” to listen to people questioning her credentials.

It is true that most athletes now have access to the technology, even if not sponsored by their preferred brand, as demonstrated by Chris Thompson, the ON Running athlete who won the British Olympic marathon trials while wearing a blacked-out version of Nike’s Vapourfly Next%. This flexibility from certain brands to permit their athletes to choose at the Olympics and World Championships is surely one step forward in this messy situation World Athletics finds itself in.

Their belated guidance over footwear last summer is perhaps the single-biggest regret in this new era, as Wightman also pointed out, athletes can hardly be blamed for selecting the best possible footwear available.

Quite how well each individual responds to the technology remains a mystery though and perhaps that is the biggest issue here, beyond athletes bettering long-standing records - as despite traditionalists grumbling, there is an instinctive joy to witness a record being broken.

The scepticism will not disappear yet, but it is surely premature to make sweeping judgements, given how patient athletes have been to be able to showcase their progress as races return.

Potter, after all, ran for Great Britain in the 10,000m at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and will surely now target a place on the plane to Tokyo to run either the 5000m or 10,000m.

Breakout performances look here to stay in 2021, it is just a shame that those watching must consider more than just the time on the clock.