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.
Specifications (per Enda Website)
Weight: 9.2 oz (Men's 8.5)
Stack Height: not provided, though 24 mm reported in forefoot
Drop: 6 mm
Classification: Daily Trainer
HIGHLIGHTS
The Enda Lapatet is durable and versatile across various terrains. The shoe is built very sturdy and will maintain its ride for miles to come. The shoe favors midfoot striking as its philosophical build by placing high rebound EVA underneath it at the midfoot and forefoot. The firmer foam wedges are placed in the heel and forefoot creating a skosh of stability and snappiness to the shoe. The shoe has many personal and cultural touches that help make this a proud and personal feeling shoe to put on your feet.
FIT
The Enda Lapatet does run small. I have been running in a size 10, with my normal size as 9.5 and shoe still fits snug all around for the most part (though length is ok). The shoe heel of the foot is normal to slightly wide with a semi-rigid counter that does a good job of holding the heel in place with no translation or slippage. The midfoot is normal to narrow with a snug hold from the upper. The forefoot is of normal width with a little bit of pressure from the dorsum of the upper and tongue (though padded). The upper is built tough. It breathes well enough, but is on the thicker end, even without much reinforcements.
CUSHIONING
The Enda Lapatet is relatively firm, but has just enough cushion for some road miles. The majority of cushion is placed in the midfoot and forefoot with the high rebound EVA, "rewarding" a midfoot strike. The heel and toe off regions of the shoe have firmer heel wedges. The shoe feels great on dirt roads and "ok" on roads with respect to cushion. Being a midfoot striker naturally, I think it held up ok on roads, though may be a little bit more of a firm transition for heel strikers.
RIDE
The Lapatet has a 6mm drop ratio that feels a little higher because of the heel firmness and increased stack of the midfoot. The midfoot and forefoot cushion are noticeable relative to the firmness of the other foam wedges, but is overall smooth from a midfoot strike pattern. The shoe is best at nice steady paces and feels smooth at relative efforts like that. Like I stated earlier, the shoe feels much nicer on dirt roads with the mild cushioning and great traction of the outsole, but still transitions pretty well if the runner is light on their feet on roads as well.
SPEED
The Enda Lapatet is not the fastest shoe out there, but it isn't designed to be (9.2 ounces size Mens 8.5). The shoe is a little heavy by modern day training shoe standards, but light enough to turn it over if you need to. Despite this, the shoe is best at steady daily efforts matching its intended design.
STABILITY
The Enda Lapatet is interesting because it isn't necessarily built to be a stability trainer, but does have some subtle stability adding features. The increased stack of the midfoot almost acts like a slight posting (with some give) but maintains that slight lift on the navicular and midfoot. The upper is very snug and holds the foot well giving great direction and no surprises or slips upon landing forces. The outsole is built with a slight waffle like pattern giving it some traction and ground feel as well. The Enda Lapatet essentially functions as a light stability trainer.
DURABILITY
The Enda Lapatet is built tough. The outsole has hardly any wear (a little through the midfoot) after wear testing and I don't see it lessening too much with more miles. The midsole is consistent and smooth and has not lost any responsiveness to date. I could see the Lapatets going a little longer than the normal industry standard and into the 400 to 500 range.
THOUGHTS AS A DPT
For this DPT section I want to focus on certain rocker points throughout the gait cycle upon landing. In theory, during the gait cycle we will go through a transition point at the heel, ankle/midfoot, forefoot, and ultimately toe off. The Lapatet does a pretty good job of creating a fluid transition from the midfoot through toe off, but is built in a way that makes it a little difficult for those who land in the heel. With the increased stack and cushioned midfoot, it essentially lengthens the platform of the heel slightly. This creates a stable platform to stand on, but gives some rebound or clunky sensation backwards for some hard heel strikers. The shoe also does not have much of a bevel through the posterior lateral heel on top of this which makes the landing a little bit more harsh and less fluid for heel strikers. Yes this shoe is designed for midfoot strikers (and will work pretty well for us), but does not contribute to the natural heel rocker many have in walking and even running. The heel platform is stable, but could be maneuvered a little better to ensure a more fluid shoe for all and not just cater to the midfoot striking market.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For being their first crack at a daily training shoe for high mileage, Enda did a pretty good job. Some recommendations I have would be making the upper more true to size and thinning it out just a hair. Though the extra cushion through the midfoot is nice on the platform near the HARAMBEE lettering, it would be nice if it was lowered in stack maybe 1mm so the shoe does not feel too much like an extended a heel/rearfoot and smooth the landing out more for heel strikers.
CONCLUSION
The Enda Lapatet is a durable workhorse geared towards runners that lean more toward midfoot striking. If one has a lot of dirt roads in their neighborhood, this functions as a great trainer for traction and cushion on dirt. For those who are lighter on their feet, they can also run well on the roads in this trainer.
GRADING
Fit/Upper 8.25/10 (-1 for size difficulties, -.5 for thick upper, -.25 for tight dorsum of foot)
Ride/Midsole 9/10 (Midfoot stack may be a little overly involved decreasing quicker transition)
Stability 9/10 (Essentially light stability trainer with raised midfoot w/ give, SNUG upper)
Speed 8.75/10 (best at daily paces,weight and construction of shoe make less aggressive)
Durability 9.75/10 (mild wear at midfoot, otherwise very durable trainer)
TOTAL: 89.5%
TESTER PROFILES
Dr. Salas is a 135 lb male with notable PRs of 3:54 1500m, 14:56 5k, 31:06 10k, 1:08 for half marathon. He typically runs 40 to 50 miles per week and trains from about 7:30 recovery runs to fast shorter efforts at 4:30 pace. He normally prefers neutral shoes with a firmer ride, but is completely open to other types of shoes. He is a footwear enthusiast at heart and will always appreciate a high quality shoe when it comes around. For updates on training or testing, IG handle: @docsofrundavid
Thanks for reading!
Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I am currently taking clients for running evaluations.
Matthew Klein, PT DPT OCS FAAOMPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
Nathan Brown PT DPT MS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Masters in Anatomy and Clinical Health Science
Movement Performance Institute Certified in Advanced Functional Biomechanics
David Salas PT DPT CSCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
***Disclaimer: These shoes were were purchased at full price from Enda via website. This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We put at least 35-75 miles on trainers and 10-25 miles on racing flats prior to reviewing them. Currently I have 38 (David) miles on my pair. My views are based on my extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.
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