> We have been optimized very hard by evolution to be good at running, so there shouldn’t be any “easy” technologies that would make us dramatically faster or more efficient.
I wonder if these new shoes have the same affect on natural (i.e., non-paved) surfaces? Plus, they all look quite high off the ground (probably all those plates and foam need space) and that doesn't help with stability when running over rocks, etc.
Yes. The top marathon racing shoes are optimized for road-running & hard surfaces like asphalt. Definitely not good for trails. They are indeed very tall (though there's limits for official competitions.) Excellent lateral stability is essentially a non-goal so they are not a good choice for volleyball or tennis either. So yeah, we run in a very different world than the one where our ancestors evolved...