During our district meet this year, we had some rain. So much rain in fact that they delayed the boys field events for a couple days because conditions were too poor. But even when the girls and boys were jumping, conditions were still slick.
The reason I tell you this, is because one of our high jumpers kept slipping each time they went to approach the bars. Fortunately we saw this problem during warm-ups. So I looked at their spikes and noticed they were all worn down and they were even missing a couple. I quickly replaced the spikes before high jump started.
This is a pretty obvious case. Having spikes in your shoes is going to help with traction and improve forward momentum. I was a little upset with my athlete because they were unaware of the poor condition of the spikes and didn't even think to check them since the ground was slick.
Spikes can help a runner, no matter what event they are doing. Throwers, especially discus, can utilize spikes just as much. While they might not be running, it still helps with traction while they are spinning. As I previously mentioned, the forward momentum improvement they can provide, makes them extremlly useful to runners, especially sprinters. And for runners who compete in events 800m and above, may consider cross country spikes, if they are legal.
You can see more about spikes and their importance here:
What Are Spikes For
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