Adidas Adizero RC 2 Review

Adidas Adizero RC 2 Review

     The Adidas Adizero RC 2 provides a ton of quality for the price. The shoe is lighter than the renowned Adios racing line (7.1 ounces) with a 10mm drop and featuring the new foam LIGHTSTRIKE from Adidas. The RC 2 provides great ground feel with a snappy finish. It is not quite as plush as boost, but gives you nice push when the pace picks up. It will work well for those who like the ride to be a little more firm. In a world where racing flats easily pass $100, this shoe is definitely worth looking at for $85.

Mizuno Wave Peachtree 51st Rider Review

Mizuno Wave Peachtree 51st Rider Review

   Although many races are up in the air at the moment, the Peachtree Road Race is a famous July 4th race in Atlanta, Georgia that has an extensive history. Mizuno traditionally has made special edition Wave Riders for this race and the last two years have featured updated Riders with brand new uppers. Although supposedly they feature same soles as the in line Riders with new uppers, both in 2019 and 2020 the shoes have felt different. Different in positive ways. We were fortunate enough to get a pair at the 2020 US Olympic Trials and after many miles, we figured we would share a review.

Yeti 24 Hr Challenge: My Adventure

YETI 24 HOUR CHALLENGE:

My Adventure: David

INTRODUCTION: 

     First, I want to thank the Race Coordinator Jason Green for holding this 24 hour challenge. The entry fees for this go toward the support of the Easter Seals in Alabama. This is a community rehab organization to help support people of mental, physical, and developmental disabilities with continued employment and opportunities. In this situation the Easter Seals community are screening all of the shirts. In times of this constant barrage of race cancellations, the YETI 24 hour challenge is a way to get out and be a part of something good and contribute to our strong running family globally. Over the span of 24 hours the participant runs 5 miles every 4 hours over the duration of 24 hours. My DOR teammate Nathan recently did this 2 days ago and convinced me to do it as well. I decided to treat this as a "flight" of my favorite shoes over the last year in no particular order. Below is my experience.

Enda Lapatet Review

Enda Lapatet Review

     The Enda Lapatet is the second training shoe built by Enda after the Iten, focusing on logging daily mileage. The shoe is a sturdy built workhorse trainer with good traction for dirt roads and just enough cushioning for road running as well. One unique trait to the shoe is that is designed to reward a midfoot strike pattern.

Brooks Hyperion Elite Review

 Brooks Hyperion Elite Review

   At the 2020 US Olympic Trials Marathon, the Brooks Hyperion Elite was the third most common racing shoe of choice (at least among the men's field). Billed as Brook's elite distance racing shoe, the Hyperion Elite is very different from the other maximalist racing shoes on the market.  While many of these shoes use soft foams, the Hyperion Elite stuck with the traditional firm racing flat feel, but combined with a maximalist, rockered racing shoe design. The result is a racing flat that may work for some and not for others.

Reebok Floatride Run Panthea Multiple Tester Review

Reebok Floatride Run Panthea Multiple Tester Review

Designed for performance like fit and feel over a piece of Floatride foam, the Reebok Panthea does a great job of creating the performance trainer that can also log in daily mileage. The shoe is lightweight, responsive, and carries enough cushion for any distance. The Reebok Panthea joins the marketplace of high quality "do it all" trainers. 

Footwear Science: An Evidenced Based Review of PEBAX and Carbon Fiber Shoes

An Evidence Based Review of PEBAX and Carbon Fiber Shoes
By Chief Editor Matt Klein

In 2016, the Nike Vaporfly, a unique running shoe with a combination of a super soft responsive foam called polyether block amide (PEBA) foam and a full-length carbon fiber plate, was introduced to the market. Since that time, many individuals, both in research labs and on the roads, tracks and trails, have confirmed its potential for performance improvement. Multiple world records have been set by individuals wearing this type of shoe and recently the statistically unlikely men's sub 2 hour marathon was run on a closed course in the newest version of this shoe (as of writing this) called the Nike Zoom Alphafly Next%. Additionally, the women's statistically impossible sub 2:15 marathon was destroyed in 2019 by an individual wearing an older version of this shoe type (Angus, 2019). While most of the research has been done on the Nike Vaporfly, many other major running companies have begun to release their similarly designed shoes to market as as new rules regarding prototypes and specifically designed footwear set by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to allow their shoes to be used at the 2021 Summer Olympics. Saucony released the Endorphin Pro (review), Brooks released the Hyperion Elite (review soon), Adidas is releasing the Adizero Pro, New Balance has the Fuel Cell RC on the way, Asics with the Metaracer, Mizuno is working on something (review soon), Hoka has the Rocket X, Carbon X (REVIEW) and Carbon Rocket, and Skechers has the GOrun Speed Elite Hyper (REVIEW). The problem with all of this is that both the majority of people and companies are focused on the wrong components of the shoe when it comes to performance. Let's talk about the key characteristics of this type of footwear, what is important and why only a few companies have actually done this correctly (hint: Nike and Saucony are currently the only two companies to have shoes on the market that correctly fit the criteria of being super shoes).

Editor's Note: This Literature Review is based off the current research available as of 4/5/2020. I cannot comment of research that is not public. Many companies have likely done their own studies, (which are inherently biased), however this research is not public information thus is not included in this review. The concept of performance is FAR more complicated than a foam or plate as I am sure we will see in the coming years with more research. Again, this is based off of the current research available at this time. More will come. 

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Karhu Ikoni 2020 Multiple Tester Review

Karhu Ikoni 2020 Multiple Tester Review

     The Karhu Ikoni is the first shoe from the Karhu training line to incorporate Ortix fitting and 3D scans of different runner's feet to get the closest and adaptive fit for all feet. This is the most neutral of the training line featuring a 1/2 length fulcrum to help stabilize the heel and midfoot. The overall design is built to create Karhu's Rolling Effect, including a bevel in the heel and a slight toe spring. The result is a smooth ride for many foot strikes.

Skechers GOrun Forza 4 HYPER Multiple Tester Review

Skechers GOrun Forza 4 Multiple Tester Review

   Matt: The Skecher GOrun Forza is one of the few lightweight light stability trainers (still) on the market. Version 4 has been a long time coming and features a complete redesign. As the last shoe to get the HYPER treatment, I (Matt) have been excited to test this shoe. I have run in every version of this shoe and it has gotten better ever single time. Version 4 keeps this trend, providing a stable, lightweight, slightly firmer and more responsive ride. Although not as soft as other HYPER shoes, the GOrun Forza 4 provides a unique ride in the current market and is well worth looking into if you need a little stability.