The Rise of the Footwear Sponsored Ultra Team.

Given the title it would be easier to start with some Salomon commentary. However, I want to take things back a little further than that. There is no doubt that some serious ultra historians can take it back further than me but from my little eyes 2008 saw a shift. A shift from the top Ultra Runner being more than just a ‘crazy nutter’ and starting to be viewed as a useful marketing tool- and I am not just talking about Dean Karnezes. More Scott Jurek. Brooks Running had an epiphany….if Scott Jurek can run hundreds of miles and wins a lot then surely that serves as proof that our shoes are amazing? If he can be comfortable whilst running for 2days in one shoe then surely anybody can be comfortable. This was a seriously influential strategy that really paid off for them. But deeper than that, it opened a door for Ultra Runners. The Green Silence was eventually released in feb 2010 and whilst this was going on New Balance had firmly set their sights on a similar concept. Anton Krupicka and Eric Skaggs had been working for the last year on the MT100/101 range which later evolved into 2 complete lines of shoes (minimus and MT).

                At this point the brands were not thinking of creating a team but they had effectively taped into the idea that Ultra Runners can shift shoes as well, if not better, than any marathoner. Top Ultra runners started to be signed up by every brand and we witnessed the first brands to make shoes marketed specifically to Ultra Runners- Hoka, Scott, Technica etc. . Some brands started to sign many runners which created a team….except it wasn’t quite a team yet, it was just a list of different Ultra Runners which is no different to road running. Enter….Team Salomon

                For me, they really have taken it to the next level and created a proper team. A team normally akin to cycling. Take away Kilian Jornet and I still feel confident enough to say that the Salomon evolution would have still happened. They provided their athletes with the budget and resources to truly compete, win and market them on a global scale. They started training weeks for their athletes, integrated them into the product creation of the S-lab range and made them feel part of something bigger….a family. If you call it good marketing then fine, I wouldn’t say your wrong but for Greg Vollet (who had a cycling background funnily enough) and his team it was pure fun and they were told of one mission….MAKE TRAIL RUNNING HUGE. They enlisted the services of filmmakers the AfricanAttachment to shoot videos of their races, training and athletes and they were told two things- 1. Don’t be exclusive to Salomon products in all videos as it’s bigger than that and 2. MAKE TRAIL RUNNING HUGE. For me the African Attachment are the ones that have created the Ultra Running boom, more so in Europe as I cant forget the influences of Mr. Benna in the states!  Greg Vollet and his team have forced other brands to react. The North Face always had a star studded team but they had to do more than free gear. Pearl Izumi and Montrail are starting to provide the resources to their runners to get them into the big races. It’s a fascinating time to be around Ultra’s and to witness this team evolution but where does it go from here? As the financial benefits to brands for their runner to win a race increases so does the demands they will have to enforce. Each runner’s season will be mostly dictated by their sponsor and they will have to ‘fit in’ other races around this. The depth of the team will need to increase as more and more races grow their global visibility and prestige and therefore there are more races a brand needs to win. We will see more competitions with Team results, relays and races where multiple team members have to run the entire race together. The team that comes out on top and the brand that benefits the most will be the guys that have a true family culture and a true desire to support the sport in itself. If these elements are lost then the Ultra Community will swallow them up and spit them out. Becoming too corporate like, dare a say it, Nike will not work in Ultra Running. I love an environment where we can all openly discuss each other’s gear from different brands without being worried about losing our sponsorship deals. A sentiment that cant be said for elite level Road or Track running.

So what am I saying and what is the point of my post?

Ultimately I don’t mind this big brand influx to our sport as long as they keep it pure. Create content for us all to enjoy not just videos that focus on one specific piece of gear, which again, is something associated with track and road running. And keep it social and enjoyable, that’s our sport which means that’s your market….don’t lose sight of that. A blueprint has already been made with one brand to enormous success. Long may it continue…..otherwise I’ll take up tchoukball or something and do a Tchoukball player of the year awards 2014.

Have fun,

QUICK SHOE REVIEWS: TECNICA DIABLO MAX

STATISTICS

Shoe- Tecnica Diablo Max
Weight- 360g
Heel Height- 37.2mm (self measure)
Toe Height- 15.8mm (self measure
Stability- 6/10
Cushioning- 10/10
Durability- 10/10
Comfort- 7/10
Miles Run- 231
Longest Run- 44.3miles
Terrains- Hard-Pack Trail, Soft Mud, Canal Path, bridleway, forestry, clay

Style and Type:
An anti-minimalist shoe in the mould of the Hoka series, they even have the same designer! True benefits of this shoe are firstly for extreme hill running with big ascents/descents by incorporating the rockered platform (described later). Other major benefits are for better performance over technical surfaces and for pure shock absorption indulgence! It is clear this shoe is for the long distance grinder as opposed to fleet footed track star.

Fit and Feel:
Fits true to size. The wrap around the upper foot and lacing system is an absolute delight. I work with running shoes in all shapes and forms and the upper must be the best fitted I have ever tried (Merrell Trailglove a super close second). The feel out of the box takes some getting used to as it is a huge platform designed for increased surface area on very technical trails. The depth of the shoe is a fraction shallow for my high-arch but definitely a better and more natural fit than the Hoka. Only real fit negative is the toebox. It is wide enough but is very stiff, does not allow the greatest flexion. I also noticed at plus 20mile runs that the stitching on the lateral edge of the toebox is way too aggressive and disappointingly poor. I managed to salvage these longer runs and prevent my 4th and 5th toe from damage by removing the ortholite footbed. This dropped my foot into the shoe just enough to stop my toes scratching on the stitching.

Outsole:
The EVA material is packed and 30% bigger than your normal road shoe. For a lot of runners this may seem like a feature design for the heavier runner however the long term comfort when spending hours at a time in this shoe is the real benefit.
Another real positive is the multidirectional lugs on the bottom. I’ve always preferred the multidirectional route because it seems to provide the greatest traction on a wide variety of surfaces.

Midsole:
So let’s discuss this rockered feature that runs through the shoe. First experienced in the Hoka, this design is intended to increase propulsion and actually rocker you up hill whilst helping spring you forward downhill. In theory, its genius....but it will not be genius for everybody. The rocker almost sends you speeding down a ramp through the midfoot and then send you over a hump (speed bump esque) as you approach the forefoot before finally dropping down and levelling out as you hit toe off. If you heel strike on flat surfaces you physically feel like your whole gait cycle is faster yet still stable- good job. My concern starts with the midfoot striker. I’ve had the benefit of using Profeet’s dynamic RS footcan to confirm my own personal running tests and it seems as though a midfoot striker will land halfway up the speed bump, your hamstrings then have to over engage to prevent the extreme braking force and to propel you forward harder to get over the bump. Forefoot striking is actually great again because you land just after the apex of this bump so you get a nice rocking motion as you capture your weight and then propel yourself forward again.
Ultimately, I believe this is a shoe for running up and down hills/mountains. Every hill I hit regardless of terrain and/or footstrike pattern I felt supreme confidence and I felt very fast. I will absolutely be using this for mountainous ultra’s. Likely to be my 2012 Ultra Trail du mont blanc shoe (lottery dependant) and most likely Tor des Geants shoe in 2013.

Upper:
As mentioned great wrap around upper foot. Lacing is very secure and supremely comfortable. Wrap around tongue fits like a dream flexible. As with most good shoes light and breathable uppers are a feature.

Grip:
Shoe performs the best on very uneven and technical ground, you just have to build the confidence to trust the shoe. Since the arrival of minimalist shoes we have exclusively been told that being closer to the ground and ‘feeling’ the ground is the best way to run- this does not ring true for sharp technical rocky grounds (except maybe for elites) and it does not help the runner with chronic injury problems or weak stabilisers. Once you have the confidence in this shoe you can absolutely crush some real technical paths that would normally be slow going and problematic. I tend to find with trail shoes that wet rock is always the biggest problem but the big surface area on the sole seemed to help a fair amount. The multi-directional lugs on the sole dug themselves into the mud quite well and preventing a lot of the usual slip you find on muddy downhills.

Conclusion:
This is not a shoe jumping on the Hoka attention and it is not a shoe that will come and go as a fad. For the vast majority the rockered platform is extremely useful and very performance friendly and I look forward to the lighter shoes they will be rolling this into (pun intended). The grip performs well and the fit of the upper is very close to perfection. If im being picky then i would prefer the shoe to have slightly more depth and the rough stitching around the toebox HAS to be improved for the 2nd edition.
Ultimately the shoe easily fits into my shoe rotation and im keen to punish the shoe further to see exactly which races i want to use it for.....long and steep is most likely. The Diabo also tempts me to look at the rest of the range. If you liked HOKA then you must give this a try. If you shock absorption issues, like comfort, want a bit of free foot gait efficiency and/or your running mountains just give it a go, you’ll be pleased.

QUICK SHOE REVIEWS: ADIDAS AdiZero XT

STATISTICS

Shoe- Adidas AdiZero XT
Weight- 295g
Heel Height- 33mm
Toe Height- 22mm
Stability- 7/10
Cushioning- 8/10
Durability- 7/10
Comfort- 4/10
Miles Run- 74
Longest Run- 30miles
Terrains- Road, Hard-Pack Trail, Soft Mud, Canal Path, Grass, Forrests
Style and Type:
A ligtweight trail shoe that provides tons of cushioning. Wide spaced outsole lugs ae designed to shed mud easily as well as dig into any sort of terrain whilst keeping you stable. Adidas generally fits a bit narrow although this comes up as a D width.

Fit and Feel:
Fits true to size. My big toe felt a little cramped in the toe-box and was the source of some irritation. This was down to the narrow toe-box as opposed to the length. Midsole height is also quite shallow so perhaps not ideal for runners with a high-arch. Gusseted tongue does provide a snug fit and the heel is very comfortable.

Outsole:
Outsole is brilliantly durable, especially at the heel for those heavy heel strikers. The sticky rubber in the forefoot I was particularly impressed by as it was great for grip on wet surfaces. The mud releasing properties (which is a key feature of the shoe) was pretty good but to be honest their is much better. I found that going through very sticky and muddy areas really clogged up the bottom of the shoe, however once I hit some harder surfaces I was impressed by how quickly the mud fell off. Outsole really suits runs that will vary in terrains greatly as opposed to runs that are purely through bogs and messy fells.

Behold the worlds first camouflaged shoe!

Midsole:
Industry standard EVA midsole (CMEVA), works well to provide durable cushioning (as always). I found the midsole to be pretty stable even towards the end of long runs when my technique was deteriorating. The thermoplastic unit through the midsole is designed to allow the forefoot and heel to move independently which must contribute to the good stability.

Upper:
Traditional last ,which I like and would be a great fit if a little deeper and wider. The gusseted tongue keeps a lot of dbris out while the open mesh throughout keeps it very breathable. The adidas logo is also strategically placed to provide better wrap around the foot. Again, just a little shallow for me but I can see how it would be very comfortable for a lot of people.

Grip:
Their is a lot of attention at the moment on the Salomon Crossmax and its ability as the perfect "door to trail" shoe. I believe that Adidas (knowingly or not) have provided a serious competitor. In the little tarmac I was on I had absolutely no issues. The response through tricky trails and forestry was good and the downhill response was particularly impressive even when wet. The grip was good to great and pretty much every surface.
Conclusion:
Well done adidas! Something has always been missing when it comes to their trail shoes, I wasnt a huge fan of the Kanadia, Response Trail or Raven. The key thing here is the lugs and traction. The traction is very responsive and grippy on most surfaces. Having extremely high cushioning whilst keeping the shoe under 300g is a real coup and will be extremely popular. I think a lot of people will struggle with the fit, its just to shallow through the midfoot and the toe-box is too narrow. Those two things aside, the XT is a good shoe and has definitely won a place in my current trail shoe rotation. When I need a mix terrain shoe with high cushioning (the days those legs are just darn tired)I will pull these out. Fit issues will just keep it as a below 30km choice.