To kick off Christmas and the holidays , I thought we might demystify what has become an extremely complex topic: All the “stuff” that goes into a running shoe. This will be in 3 easy to digest parts. It really should not be that complicated, because, in real terms, there are only 3 parts to…
Simon Bartold
Director of Bartold Clinical
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2 responses to “Deconstructing a running shoe. Part 1: The upper”
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Hey Simon. Two questions for you: First, do you know of any running shoe companies, other than Altra, that now use a female-specific last? Second, are there any running shoes other than the Nike React Infinity that use an anatomical last? I’m trying to do some research here and I’m not coming up with much! Thanks.
Hey Megan, we do need to be a little careful (if not skeptical) about the use of both of these terms. There is no clear definition of either, and so it makes things a little difficult. The term anatomical last has been around for many years, but there are many permutations of what that really is. For me, an anatomical last is probably a 3D printed last from a laser scan of an actual foot. There are still significant issues matching current manufacturing techniques to true anatomical lasts. A few companies have cracked it, and Nike may be one of them, but I have no inside information. Osaka definitely have used an anatomical last with their Ido Mk1 Hockey shoe, as have XBlades with their new netball range. In relation to female specific lasts, I am deeply suspicious of any claim to this. For the most part these are just volumetric changes, but to my knowledge, no one has created an actual female specific last. I mean think about it.. how could you?