The cost of running

This year, the modern cushioned running shoe celebrates its 40th birthday. The successor to the plimsoll, trusty companion of those romantic or absurd athletes of ´Chariots of Fire´, this now almost ubiquitous footwear has spiralled in cost with each development in culture, material, electronics, sensors and personal area networks. Today, you can run with your pace, location, heart monitor and even your music all working together to enhance your performance on the road. But is the cost worth it to add to the performance advantage for most runners?