"A prank on the bourgeoisie"

Absurd! Spike ban on running track causes trouble

The ban on spiked shoes "is like opening an indoor swimming pool and then putting up a sign saying that swimming is prohibited" ...(Bild: APA/dpa/Sven Hoppe; Alwin J. Wagner )

A veritable prank has caused a stir in German athletics these days: a promising young athlete has been banned from sprint training on the running track at the Waldstadion in Melsungen! The reason seems almost unbeatable in terms of absurdity: Because the use of shoes with spikes, one of the most important aids for sprinters, is not permitted there. In other words, on a running track which, by definition, is also there for sprint training ...

Alwin Wagner, Vivian Groppe's coach, recently made these irritating conditions public. Because when the 20-year-old, U18 state champion in the 200 meters in 2021 and currently on the 2028 Olympic squad, recently returned to Germany from a stay of several months in the USA and wanted to hold some sprint training sessions with her long-time coach in Melsungen, she was taken by surprise by a prohibition sign.

On the same level as dogs and high-heel wearers
Just like dogs and high-heel wearers, the signs also prohibited runners wearing spiked shoes from using the track. "For the first training sessions, I focused on an explosive start out of the blocks to optimize their acceleration," Wagner told SEK News.

"Spikes help to transfer the explosive force directly and efficiently to the ground, which enables a powerful and fast start." Banning spiked shoes "is like opening an indoor swimming pool and then putting up a sign that swimming is prohibited," Wagner said.

Was it all just a misunderstanding?
After all, the public outcry was loud and insistent enough to apparently persuade those responsible to rethink. In any case, the ban is history - and it was all just a misunderstanding.

In the meantime, the signs that were actually only intended for artificial turf pitches have been provisionally changed, meaning that spiked shoes are once again permitted. From a purely formal point of view, of course, you can now strut around the track in high heels again, but that's another story ...