I don't have a good answer but I feel strongly there is a difference of kind here, not just degree. But I would say as far as the 'easy math', people at that level train years to drop 30 seconds. So I think you're being a bit too flippant about the 5 minutes.
And yes I won't challenge Kipchoge but a lot of runners who were quite a bit worse than me are now running similar times to me, using the vaporflys. There is a competition/fairness issue at the sub-elite as well as elite levels.
But anyway I feel that storing and releasing kinetic energy is different than stability, grip, cushioning, temperature control. By the way I don't care if people train in things like Vaporflys just like I don't care if they train on a bicycle. But this is all just my opinion.
All rubber soled shoes store and release energy. It is physically impossible to build a perfect energy damper. So the question is: how much should be allowed to preserve the sport and how do authorities enforce it?
And yes I won't challenge Kipchoge but a lot of runners who were quite a bit worse than me are now running similar times to me, using the vaporflys. There is a competition/fairness issue at the sub-elite as well as elite levels.
But anyway I feel that storing and releasing kinetic energy is different than stability, grip, cushioning, temperature control. By the way I don't care if people train in things like Vaporflys just like I don't care if they train on a bicycle. But this is all just my opinion.