The evidence for running shoe use

A recent publication Is your prescription of distance running shoes evidence based? got some interesting media coverage. The authors did an extensive search of the literature looking for evidence for the prescription of running shoes. They concluded that its not. The media put a spin of it. Just because there is no evidence for it, means that what we do is wrong. It just means that there is no evidence to say that its right or wrong. Interesting how the media spun it.

Under Armour Running Shoe

Under Armour are well known in the running industry for their garment. They have created quite a buzz in the running shoe community by committing significant resources to their launch of their range of raunning shoes. For more see: New player in the running shoe market.

Details on the individual shoes are hard to come by, but they are releasing 4 road running models: Under Armour Spectre Under Armour Illusion Under Armour Apparition Under Armour Revenant

The Best Running Shoe?

There is no such thing. All running shoes on the market a pretty good (or equally bad!). The challenge is to find one that suits your foot type, your gait characteritics and your training regime.

Running shoes are somewhat wrongly classifed into the broad classification of motion control, stability, neutral, cushioning and minimalist (I will argue against this at another time, but its in widespread use). If someone needs, say, a motion control shoe, then look at the left hand column of this list. Then any one of these shoes will do the job. BUT, within that list some will be better than others for the individuals characteritics and unfortunatly (at this stage), it really a matter of trial and error until you find one that best suit you and you find most comfortable with.

It not uncommon to hear someone say that, for example, the Nike Equalon caused them an injury, that they feel uncomfortable in the Brooks Beast and that the Asics Kayano is the best shoe. How often have you heard something like that? Well, they are all good shoes. What the person is really saying is that the Kayano had the characteristics that matched their foot type, gait biomechanics and training regime and the other shoes did not - that does not mean that there is anything wrong with the Equalon and Beast.

Somnio Running Shoes

There seems to be a bit of a buzz going around about the Somnio running shoes that are coming on the market in the USA. It started with this patent for a running shoe to improve knee alignment. Then a video clip recently turned up on You Tube to promote the shoe to speciality running stores. Running Shoe Rx picked up on the You Tube clip: Somnio Running Shoes.

It appears that the shoe is not a custom fit running shoe, but a shoe that is customized with different sole components to meet the individual biomechanical characteristics and needs of the runners. It will be interesting to see how this shoe goes in the market and if they stay "independent" for long. Will the big boys take notice (I have already had one discussion with some people about these shoes from one of the 'big boys').

Finding more information, at this stage is not easy. There is no website for the company, but they do have the domain name of somniorunning.com, so I guess we just have to monitor it.