Latest news reach us from the ISPO winter in Munich. What the heck is this? Did someone glue some liquorice pieces to the bottom of a running shoe? According to the Swiss inventer Mr. Braunschweiler it’s a new running sensation. Whereas normal running shoes have both a restricted capacity to absorb the shock energy when the foot hits the ground and provide only little back when pushing again off the ground, this shoe is supposed to do both much better.
The idea is that those liquorice looking rubber loops that are dispersed all over the soles of the shoe better absorb initial vertical forces when landing, which are the most crucial ones for joints and muscles. Further they also reduce horizontal, so called shearing forces and give more power to the push-off phase. Fancy graphs and more details on their web page.
The shoe is marketed as a healthier option to both hobby and pro runners. Running on tarmac feels like on a softer ground. And regeneration after harder training is accelerated. On the GNL web page, many testimonials talk about having been able to run again and running being more fun. Apparently it’s not really a substitue to your 150g race shoes, i.e. speed improvement is not at the essence.
The shoe comes in both men and women variants, the upper materials are standard mesh, synthetic leather and reflectory material. It’s intended for the normal foot type (no pronation). And both men and women models weigh around 300 grams. On the other hand it makes you 269 CHF (EUR 180) easier, excl. shipping.
