Purchasing the right running shoes for you is very important for getting the best results. Designed for the road or track, the Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit running shoes boast ZoomX foam – the company’s most responsive EVA foam to date. It’s ultra-lightweight, soft and capable of providing up to 85-percent energy return, all of which makes this a very fast and surprisingly stable shoe to run in. Next, tucked away within that magic foam is a full-length curved carbon fibre plate that covers the entire sole. This increases stiffness, creates a sensation of propulsion and puts more acceleration into each push off. For added traction there’s a blown rubber super-thin outsole, but this runs just under just the forefoot section rather than the whole shoe to save on weight. Finally the heel also features another thin layer of Zoom foam with added grip to soften impact.
The Kwicky’s weigh a mere nine ounces. For their size and amount of cushioning, this surprised me. The low overall weight is likely because of the foam sole and seamless upper. Both are great features of the shoe but provide the secondary benefit of reducing weight. The sole is a lightweight foam that is softer than other similar shoes like the ASICS Speedstar 6. Because of that, I’m more comfortable running prolonged workouts on the road in the Kwicky. In most cases, I prefer the combination of a firm shoe and dirt trails but the Kwicky’s give much needed cushioning on the roads.
The main thing to consider when selecting your running shoes is the type of running you’re likely to be doing, not only in terms of distance, but also terrain. If you plan to run only on the track or the treadmill, you can mostly ignore factors such as the amount of traction on a shoe’s sole. However, if you plan to head off the beaten track and regularly run on trails, picking ashoe with better ankle support and a specialised sole will be much more important. If you are more of a trail bunny, Salomon and Merrell both make excellent off-road running shoes.
HOKA ONE ONEs are made with ultra-marathoners in mind, but they are great for the full range of running – even just a jog around the neighborhood. The Elevons are suited to the lower range, especially on hard surfaces. They have a poppy, responsive landing rather than a plush, cushy landing that might be more welcome at the longer distances with lower speeds. They also have great internal stability structures to keep the stride straight and balanced. What they lack in visual appeal, they make up for in landing and upper comfort. As with other shoes, there are some considerations to weigh against the awesomeness. Their bulky maximalist midsole comes in at 23 ounces in a men’s 11, making them one of the heaviest in the lineup. They could also wear down sooner than is ideal for a shoe meant for ultra-marathoners.
Designed to make long-distance running easier, the MetaRide is structured to reduce movement in the ankle joint, where most of your running energy is expended. It does so with Asics’ new sole design, called GuideSole, which is a rocker-shaped sole that helps you roll forward smoothly through your stride. Layers of FlyteFoam Lyte and FlyteFoam Propel support your feet and provide good energy return, but the jury’s still out on how much these shoes can improve your distance running. Read extra info at https://info4runners.com/asics-gel-venture-6/.