For the record: Athletes size up shoe options ahead of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics

Whether it be the Alphafly, Dragonfly or Vaporfly, they're the new must-have item in the running community.

Courtesy of the Nike corporate machine and unprecedented results at the elite level, runners of all abilities view the shoes as the key to shattering records.

For Roff, it's a viewpoint that's only going to grow throughout the Tokyo Olympics.

"Once the Olympics are on, it's going to be widespread," the former Australian representative said. "We'll see it on TV and everyone will say 'wow, what are those fancy shoes?'

"For the next generation of kids who always want the newest style of footwear, they'll want to race in whatever the Olympic champion is wearing."

Technological advancement has always played a key role in sporting progress, athletes and scientists regularly innovating to find even the smallest edge over their rivals.

From athletics to cycling, rowing to swimming, a host of new equipment will take centre stage in Tokyo.

For the most part, the results will be celebrated as a triumph of human achievement, of the dedication put into finding even the slightest edge over one's rivals.

It's this mindset that led Nike to unveil years of research through a prototype marathon shoe worn by selected athletes at the 2016 Olympics. Those runners finished first, second and third in the men's event.

From there, the range has progressed, spikes released in 2019 triggering a slew of new records on the track.

The two keys to the technology are a carbon fibre plate and enlarged soles that are lighter than their thinner predecessors. The two factors combine to provide added propulsion and energy return to the athlete.

Up until this point, Nike's focus has centred around the long-distance events, but that has shifted in recent years.

The company's plans for Tokyo remain a carefully guarded secret, but sprinters are likely to be the next beneficiaries.

Nike released the Zoom Air Viperfly last February, a shoe some manufacturers claimed could help athletes run faster than Usain Bolt.

Despite the announcement, the model is yet to be seen in competitive action.

The distance shoes mark a giant leap forward from the spikes Roff wore in the 1500m event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and he said it's not hard to understand the hype when you put them on.

"When you contact the ground there's more give from the shoe but the big benefit for me is in recovery, they don't leave you sore after tough sessions. There's probably a bit of placebo in this, if you believe they're super shoes you'll believe you feel better."

With World Athletics largely endorsing the advancements, an arms race quickly developed among shoe companies.

Joining Nike in boasting the new technology are all the big players, including Adidas, Asics and New Balance. Nike, however, remain a step ahead of their rivals.

The advancements have seen records fall at an unprecedented rate in the past two years, with the women's 10,000m world record broken twice in the space of three days earlier this month.

Such developments have left many predicting the Olympics will act as athletics' version of the 2009 Swimming World Championships. It was there that 43 world records fell, forcing FINA to introduce strict new rules governing swimming costumes.

Loose regulations regarding sole height were introduced last February. Many, however, have argued they don't go far enough.

For UNSW adjunct senior lecturer and respected sports academic Dr Jason Mazanov, associations must determine what role they are willing to let technology play in determining the final outcome.

"The boundary does sit with what a governing body considers an authentic representation of what they think their sport is," Mazanov said.

"In cycling a lot of work is done on how bikes are put together and innovations in the shape of the helmet and the governing body has said it's fine.

"By contrast the new swimsuits led to a different way of floating and the sporting community responded and said they don't think it's right for our sport.

"It's also instructive to look at para-sports and where the boundaries are with things like prosthetic limbs. To what extent does that offer mechanical advantage versus what might be naturally expected by a human.

"There's lots of discussions about where the boundary lies."

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For the athletes at the centre of the technology, the debate is more of a subplot to the real conversation.

Yes, the shoes may help them shave a second or two off their personal bests, but they aren't the sole factor in a race's outcome.

All the technology in the world won't help you if you haven't done the work at training.

"You still have to be fit to run fast in them," Tokyo-bound athlete Jessica Hull said. "You can't just turn up, put them on and run a four-minute 1500m."