Here it is - the legendary french mountain and ski brand that put trail running on the map has just unveiled a "Supershoe for everyday runners".
You're probably familiar with the S/Lab Phantasm which is designed to be a minimalist racer for sub 3hr runners who make up less than 4% of the market. It's a slightly built, forefoot strikers race shoe with minimal support or padding comfort. The alpine design team in Annecy who created that shoe say the Salomon S/LAB Spectur was designed to deliver the same race-day performance benefits to everyday runners that elite runners get from their state-of-the-art shoes.
This is a racing shoe for competitive runners who are likely to spend more time in the shoe, from 3 to 4.5 hours, and thus need a bit more comfort, shock absorption and stability.
The S/Lab Spectur features the same premium materials and technologies used in the shoes of elite runners, but in a design package to suit middle-of-the-pack runners who's training is based around performance objectives. The S/LAB Spectur is not intended to be another training shoe, but a race-day shoe or tempo trainer to help runners be more efficient to set new personal bests.
Salomon’s footwear research & development team wanted to deliver “supershoe” for runners who have different biomechanics to elites. Pace and biomechanics determine what shoe design will be efficient for runners and, as a consequence, most runners do not have the same functional needs as elite runners.
Today’s supershoes have rocker shapes, carbon plates and narrow heels - they are built for an extremely exclusive group of elite runners. These designs were found after 2 years of studies with over 200 runners to actually impair the efficiency of heavier or slower heel striking non elite runners.
Whether your goal is a sub four-hour marathon or a sub 45-minute 10 kay, the new Spectur road shoe is designed with all the innovative bells and whistles that supershoes for elite athletes offer. They are lightweight at 235 grams and contain a specifically engineered Energy Blade carbon plate with dual foam cushioning and enhanced midsole geometry which also enhances stability.
The key difference is in how those features work together to provide the right balance between propulsion and stability. The energyFOAM+ top layer is made from premium PEBA material to deliver energy return and excellent cushioning and bouncy responsiveness. The dual-foam layer works together with the rocker shape of the shoe to ease propulsion and improve the 'rocking-chair' effect by moving the pivot point backward from where it would be in an elite runner’s shoe. A wider heel initiates the balanced heel-to-toe transition through the unique plate shape with an 8 mm drop.
Wise words from Gatien Airiau, Salomon’s road running product line manager and elite distance runner:
"We're not trying to change anyone’s running form, the S/LAB Spectur does not change how you run. We're trying to leverage your biomechanics and your pace to make the fastest shoe possible for you. We didn't take an elite athlete’s shoe and then take it down to amateur runners. We started from scratch to make a shoe that gives everyday runners the same access to shoe innovations that elites have."
We can't wait to get our feet into these.
The Salomon S/LAB Spectur RSP 4 999. View more details here.
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