Hill & Dale Issue 10 | Brand X

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I love Batman.

West. Keaton. Kilmer. Clooney (kidding). Bale. Affleck. The best Dark Knight ever (Kevin Conroy). And of course, Pattinson.

But what does Batman have to do with running?

After I started searching for additional information about carbon-plated running shoes, I discovered that many models incorporate the letter X into the name. For instance, I ran the 2022 Boston Marathon in the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%.

Thousands of my compatriots donned the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit. But back to Batman for the moment of inspiration behind this piece.

In a jarring, memorable scene from the 1989 film, Jack Nicholson’s fabulous and frightening Joker interrupts a news broadcast to showcase “new and improved!” Joker products. And his secret ingredient that improves upon the products in question? Smylex.

I still wonder if the letter X is the actual star of the campy commercial Joker aired to frighten viewers (Nicholson sure drags that letter out to amplify the fear and unease).

Have you noticed that adding X to a product, name, event, or show enhances both the appeal and the allure? There’s the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%, Microsoft Xbox, Motorola Xoom, and fictional poison Smylex.

And Xzibit and DMX. And the ESPN X Games, The X Factor, and The X-Files.

“Today, we see X pinned to any number of products as a sign of some undefined cachet — the mystery of what something you buy, or buy into, can do for you,” writes Anthony Burton.

Some carbon-plated running shoes utilize X in the name to emphasize the possibility of faster finish times and less fatigue. I say possibility as preparation (i.e. running regularly), food, water, stress, sleep, and recovery all factor into the success or bust of a race performance.

That said, I decided to look at every shoe on the Running Warehouse website for the ones with X. Nike stood out, though HOKA provided some stiff competition. Surprisingly, some models without a carbon plate used X in the name too.

Of course, there’s a crucial question that surfaces: do carbon-plated shoes improve running economy? The research appears to be contentious, and I’ve met runners who liken plated shoes to cheating.

Still, according to World Athletics, shoes that adhere to specific criteria are permitted in competition for elite and amateur runners alike.

Coach, nutritionist, and author Matt Fitzgerald highlights the tension numerous runners have about purchasing carbon-plated shoes in a personal essay about the Vaporfly Next%. “They [slower runners] don’t feel they’re good enough at running to deserve to,” he says about the struggle.

I know that struggle. In March 2008, I finished my first marathon in 4:09:52. I dropped twenty-two minutes at marathon number two in December 2009 (in non-plated shoes I might add).

Since then, I’ve shaved off additional minutes and seconds over fifteen years of facing off against the mighty marathon. Shoes, carbon-plated or not, are but a tool in the toolbox. But I’m sticking with the plated ones come race day.

I hope you have a great day. We’ll talk soon.

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Photo courtesy of Adrien Olichon