Nike joins the foam club. Is this the Holy Grail? No, no it is not!
Jonathan Beverly is a friend of mine and an excellent freelance journalist. Recently he published a terrific book called "Your Best Stride", bag a copy, it is a great read!
He also writes for Runner's World, and a couple of days ago he covered the release of Nike's new React foam, presented in the new Epic React Flyknit. The bloggers went a bit nuts saying it was wonderful, but not everyone is convinced or even impressed. I have to say I am one of those people.
Even though I love the way Nike go about their business, there are many issues with the "highly cushioned / energy return" paradigm.
Jonathan's byline for his article, which can be read here is:
Is Nike’s New React Foam the Holy Grail for Cushy Shoes? Either Way, Foam Is Here to Stay. The running world these days is all about foam technology.
Well, actually I would have to say: No! It is not, maybe, and, no, it is not!
To understand my (extreme) skepticism, we first have to understand what the midsole can, and cannot do. And far more importantly, as always, we MUST acknowledge that the way a midsole performs is different for different runners. More on that in a bit.
Simon Bartold
Director of Bartold Clinical
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