The sky seems to be the limit for running shoes. For the midsole height of running shoes, at least. Even Fila, which became famous a couple of years ago for maintaining a family of minimalist origins, with low soles, KR (from Kenya Racer), was abducted by so-called “maximalism”.
Maximalism is the name used by the industry to describe the sneakers they now produce, which look like Dutch Holambra clogs because they are so high. It’s a surrender to the principle of the Hoka brand, which made waves last decade with its maximum cushioning sneakers, as if users had “marshmallows”, as they said, “under their feet”.
Fila’s most important launch of the year, the Speedrocker, has a distance of 55 mm between the upper and the ground – at the heel, it is 39 mm.
Brands have managed to take the weight out of their products, even adding layers and layers of cushioning. The word they like to use now is “responsiveness”, which would be the ability of the thermoplastic foam in the midsole to push the runner forward, adding energy to the stride.
I think it’s unlikely that someone at a moderate pace, at 12 km/h, say, will be able to enjoy this effect, the logic of which would be the same as that of a trampoline.
The only time I felt this springboard effect was on a 10km gravel ride with Kangoo Jumps on my feet. The Jumps are not a running shoe, but a type of skate boot with flexible arches. Much more than for running, it is often used in gyms for bouncy cardio classes.
If you want to see how this Swiss product behaves in a race, there is a video test of the device I made for my website Jornalistas que Correm, may God rest his soul.
Back to maximalism, I asked Gustavo Birenbaum, product manager at Fila, at what speed you start to feel the responsiveness of a sneaker. He was unable to specify a number, but said that for all those who say they “don’t feel it”, he suggests reducing the amount of time the foot is in contact with the ground.
Two important differentiators of the Speedrocker are the reinforcement of cushioning in the midfoot, not in the heel, and the same curvature angle of the shoe in the front and heel, something that, the brand claims, helps to optimize precisely this touch with the ground — and takeoff.
Fila will also launch a cousin of the Speedrocker on the market, the Aero, with a more affordable price – R$599 versus R$799 for the first, but with less cushioning and responsiveness.
Gustavo also said that the midsole height limits may not have been reached with the Speedrocker and cited as a reference the American company Brooks, whose Glycerin Max reaches 47 mm in the heel. Adidas also gained a lot of visibility in this regard by placing the Hyperboost Edge on the market, 45 mm in the heel.
Ultimately, it is increasingly rare to find someone like this columnist, who still persists in running (almost) barefoot and believes that it is up to our muscles to create their own antidote to the impact of stepping on them.
That’s why I put the Gaucho Fiber Barefoot Ultra to work, zero cushioning, 10 mm in the heel, minimalist like the first editions of Fila’s Kenya Racer once were.
I’ll tell you in 2040 what my knees will think of this decision.
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