Nowadays the most controversial running shoe is what we called the Spira running shoes. This type of shoe is unique for it has a sporing mechanism in the heel that is supposed to help the runner go faster. Because of that it led the running shoe to be banned by the international athletics Association, but this has not stopped runners from using them. The company has even offered a substantial amount of money to any runner who can win a race using the Spira running shoe. For a small company this has generated substantial amount of publicity. There is ongoing litigation between the Spira Company and the International Athletics Association to resolve the differences over the ban for the shoe.