In general, how much of a faster do you think running in spikes makes you run vs running in typical cushioned running/training shoes? How about spikes vs non-spiked running flats like cross-country flats (i.e. low soled & very little cushioning)?
For example, if someone challenged you to an impromtu 100m or 200m race, you’re dressed in workout clothes but don’t have full track gear, how much difference would you think you’d have in non-spiked shoes?
Ballpark figures, do you think ~.1-.2 sec advantage in a 100m, or something more dramatic like .5 sec? Would any of the sprinting elite be able to run sub-10 sec w/o using spikes?
I think it’s more dramatic, more along the lines of .5 like you said. There was a kid on my track team who ran a 12.6 in regular shoes, and everyone wrote him off saying he shouldn’t try to be a sprinter. Then someone let him borrow some spikes and a week later he busted out an 11.9 (this kid was a freshman at the time). Maybe that was just one particular case, but that’s just my experience with it.
Well last year in my first competition of the year I was running around 12.7 in the 100 and 26+ in the 200. I later got spikes and topped out at 11.99 in the 100 and that wasn’t even a good race for me. In the 200 I was weak that year and ended up running 25.3 but still that’s a dramatic change by just wearing spikes.