What’s the deal with the tape on track & field athletes?

Athletic tape is usually reserved for injuries or injury prevention. So why do some runners in Rio -- like France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde in the 100-meter hurdles have patches of tape scattered up and down their arms and legs?

It’s not Kinesio tape, the often colorful tape that’s meant to reduce swelling. These strips are called AeroSwift tape -- and Nike is touting that they can reduce wind resistance, which could lead to faster times.

A closer look reveals that each strip of AeroSwift tape is more than just that: There are dozens of blade-like nodes that protrude from the tape. These bumps, dubbed AeroBlades, supposedly reduce drag.

Looking similar to shark fins, the AeroBlade technology is included in much of the outfitting Nike provides for athletes in Rio. It’s on Nike’s track singlets and shorts, along with arm and calf sleeves.

It was on display at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, with Galen Rupp winning the 10,000-meter run in the tape. After the race, he told reporters, “Hey, they can’t hurt, and the Nike researchers are really nice guys, so I thought I’d help them out.”

(via www.news.nike.com)

A spokesperson said the tape could reduce a runner’s air resistance by two to three percent.

As Runner’s World points out, that doesn’t make much of a difference.

That would be hugely significant if it resulted in a two to three percent improvement in performance. But of course it doesn’t. Air resistance plays a relatively small role in limiting running performance, especially among distance runners. The effect of air resistance on speed varies with the square of the speed of a moving body.

In other words, air resistance, also called “drag,” is much more important in fast downhill skiing than in running. That’s why skiers wear skintight suits. They also tuck themselves into a small, balled-up position to reduce surface area.

One thing’s for certain: unlike cupping -- the therapy craze that took over swimming at these Rio Games -- the tape doesn’t leave a hickey-like mark on your body. Not that we know of, at least.