The Correlation Between the Results of Athletes and Sports Technology by Elliot C., Niklas R., & Noah Y.

How have technological advancements in sports increased the performance potential of runners? Over the past few centuries, sports technology has vastly increased the potential of runners all around the world. From tighter uniforms and better diets, to improved track surfaces, modern athletes are possessing more and more of the copious amounts of equipment and enhancements necessary for them to reach their full potential as runners. Although it may seem like sprinters and long distance runners have been getting faster and stronger over the years, it is in fact the non-human factors of running that have been rapidly improving and making the largest difference in results. For example, the winner of the 2012 Olympic marathon completed the race in 2:08:01. However, the gold medalist of the 1904 Olympic marathon finished just under an hour and a half slower with a time of 3:28:53; this is a result of different training, equipment, diets, and knowledge (Epstein). Renowned 100m sprinter Jesse Owens ran what was thought to be an incredible 100m time of 10.2 seconds (Epstein) which nowadays is a common time for collegiate sprinters. Had Owen's been racing against today’s 100m champion, Usain Bolt, he would have finished about half a second behind, which is the equivalent of 4.2 meters (Epstein). The 1/20 of the race that Owens would still have left to complete when Bolt finished is not a result of Bolt being much faster than Owens, but rather the surfaces on which they competed on and the blocks on which they started in....Using our own data and the data of Epstein, we will not only be able to prove the main reason that athletic records fall, but we will also be able to show that the way you prepare, and the gear you use during running gives you the ability to fulfil your full potential as an athlete. This data may affect the way that people view running gear, but ultimately the advantages gained by the use of expensive shoes, or expensive clothes will be negligible to the average runner. However, as the professionals use more and more advanced gear, its availability to the public may increase. This would result in overall added significance to high tech advancements for runners....