Super shoes differ from other ‘standard’ running shoes in that they are very lightweight, have a full-length carbon fiber plate in the midsole and a thick foam soles. The uppers of the shoes tend to be minimal and thin. They are designed to improve running performance and are generally only used as racing shoes, especially in the marathon.
World Athletics does have guidelines that limit the designs in these of shoes when used in competitions becasue of the ‘performance enhancing’ nature of them.
The design features in these shoes such as the carbon fiber plates and the energy returns from the thickened foam been shown to affect running economy. There has now been some research on these carbon fire plates in running shoes that supports there use.