Sports Science Update: Did Meb's Socks Help Him PR?

I have not bought into the compression socks yet, from Competitor online…

Sports Science Update: Did Meb’s Socks Help Him PR?

Published: Nov 8th 2011 11:55 AM UTC by Matt Fitzgerald

New study adds little clarity to our understanding of the benefits of compression socks.

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

Did Meb's compression socks help him to a 2-second personal best at the New York City Marathon?

If you watched live television or online video coverage of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, you probably saw the 2009 champion, Meb Keflezighi, sporting a pair of white compression socks that rose to just below his knees. Although compression socks are primarily associated with recovery benefits, Meb obviously wasn’t wearing them during the most important race of the year to recover from the previous day’s shakeout jog. Nor is it likely that he wore them so that he’d have an easier time walking down stairs the next day. Instead, surely, he wore them for the same reason he did everything else that day: to enhance his performance in the race itself.

While Meb managed a sixth-place finish on a day that saw three men break the decade-old course New York City Marathon record, the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist did set a personal best for the marathon distance–and at 36 years of age, no less. Does Meb have his compression socks to thank for his new PR?

Read more here.