10.88 Shoes

[John]

Asshe took the track for her first heat of the team trials, Richardson was heavily favored to win the heat, much less punch a ticket to the semifinals, but disaster nearly struck when she stumbled out of the blocks and had an untied shoe. However, Richardson put forth an absolutely incredible final 50 meters to run down Tamari Davis in lane 2 to win the heat and set the fastest time of the night with a 10.88.

Her closing speed here is truly stunning, and to run a 10.88 is outrageous after a start that saw her nearly end up in lane 8 next to her after an awkward start out of the blocks (and with a shoe not tied). After crossing the finish line, Richardson properly tied her right shoe and soaked in the love from the Oregon crowd.

One explanation is that we are all mindless sheep who buy whatever the shoe companies tell us to despite the liberating experience of running in lightweight shoes. Another explanation is that we've worn dozens of different shoes and are going with the ones that work best for us for daily running.

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