Construction[edit | edit source] Racing flats have only small or no heel lift, and little padding or support. They allow a prepared athlete to use their natural foot strength, elasticity, and proprioception to run quickly.[2]

A typical flat consists of a flat sole, and a minimal upper to hold it onto the foot. Frequently the thin insole is glued in place to reduce movement and weight. The uppers are often mesh so that moisture can escape, even on cross country variants.

Racing flats vary in weight, ranging from 230g (7-8 oz) down to the mere 70g (2.46 oz) of the women's New Balance 5000.[3]

Reflection:

During this wikipedia project I learned a lot about how wikipedia works, and how the vast network of users check each article over to provide the best information possible. I really didn't know much about wikipedia before this project other than my ability to search most things on the internet and it would come up with a wikipedia article. Learning how to edit the information, and communicate through the talk pages was very interesting to me. The training modules also gave me good practice with citing sources and how to find good information. Through this i was able to look through credible sources and pick out information about the construction of racing flats that would be crucial to include in the article my group was editing. The edit I made were to the construction portion of the article. I added details about how long racing flats will last compare to trainers, I added a distinction in heel lift between racing flats and trainers, and I also added the general materials that comprise a racing flat. I thought these were all very important pieces of information for someone looking for the basics on a racing flat. Especially if they didn't know the difference between a racing flat and a normal trainer. I think that our article is much more specific now than it was before. In the earlier versions it only had very basic and broad information but my group and I added specifics that will give a better understanding of the shoes.