Runner\'s World USA - 09.2019 - 10.2019

UNDER ARMOUR HOVR SONIC 2

PRICE: $100 | TYPE: Ro a d |

WEIGHT: 10.0 oz (M), 8.3 oz (W) | DROP: 8 mm

Poring over results

postrace is the guilty

pleasure of many data-

obsessed runners.

Thanks to the tracking

chip in your race bib,

you can analyze your

splits, and at some

races even see how

many competitors you

reeled in on the final

stretch. Under Armor

applies a similar idea

to your training, but

sticks the chip inside

the Hovr Sonic 2. A

Bluetooth sensor in

the midsole syncs with

UA’s MapMyRun app

for a beat on all your

running vitals, like dis-

tance, speed, cadence,

and stride length (but

it won’t replace your

Garmin’s GPS). And

you don’t feel it under-

foot; all you notice is

the speedy layer of

Hovr Foam. A mesh

web tightly wraps the

material, limiting its

expansion, so you get

better energy return

with each step. The

midsole is thinner than

on some of the brand’s

more plush shoes, but it

has a soft and respon-

sive ride. Even through

slush, the rubber out-

sole delivered stable

landings, and a sturdy

TPU heel counter adds

support so you can

stretch out the distance

on your long runs, or

pick up the pace on the

track. Rest assured, the

Sonic will let you know

if you do.—M.P.

Two hundred and

fifty dollars is a load

of money to pay for a

pair of racing shoes,

but if you must have

the best, spend it on the

Vaporfly Next%. It has

15 percent more ZoomX

foam underfoot than

its predecessor, and the

heel-toe offset is down

from 11mm in the old

shoe. Nike placed extra

foam predominately in

the forefoot to maxi-

mize toe-off efficiency.

Compared to the old

shoe’s forward-leaning

orientation, the Next%

feels a little f latter, but

that makes it more com-

fortable when you’re

not running fast with

a forward lean. When

you are running fast—I

tried 800 meters at

Kipchoge’s pace in both

shoes—there’s more

foam to press into as you

toe-off, so the Next%

feels bouncier, too.

The old Flyknit shoes

absorbed water (adding

some weight) in the

rain, so Nike gave the

new version an upper

made of what it calls

“Vaporweave,” a woven

blend of thermoplastic

polymers and nylon that

doesn’t absorb water.

The shoe also gets a

new outsole that has

better traction on wet

pavement. Both features

perform exceptionally

well, as we discovered

while wearing it to race

on rain-covered roads.

—Dan Roe

NIKE ZOOMX VAPORFLY NEXT%

PRICE: $250 | TYPE: Road | WEIGHT: 6.6 oz (M) | DROP: 8 mm

THE OFFSET LACES

TAKE PRESSURE

OFF THE TOP OF

YOUR FOOT.

AN ORTHOLITE

SOCKLINER BOOSTS

COMFORT AND

FIGHTS STINK.

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