GEAR
SEPTEMBER 2019 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 087WORDS: KERRY MCCARTHY. PHOTOGRAPHS: LUCKY IF SHARP
GENTLY DOES IT
A new shoe designed to be kind to your feet
Nike Joyride Run Flyknit£159.95, nike.com/gb (available from August 15)WHAT’S THE IDEA?
This is Nike’s attempt to
create a recovery-focused
shoe whose cushioning
properties help protect your
feet and legs on runs where
you’re not pushing hard
and need comfort rather
than performance. It’s
designed to make the ride
as personalised as possible
for the way your foot lands.HOW DOES IT WORK?
It’s all about the midsole.
Instead of a solid strip
of foam underfoot, there
are four discrete pods
that are individually
shaped and tuned to
provide the smoothest
possible transition from
heel to toe. Each one
contains thousands of
loose, tiny foam beads.
When your foot hits
the f loor the beads shift,expanding and contracting
to adapt to the way you land,
with the aim of minimising
load and discomfort on the
legs, in the same way that
you might run on the grass
in the park instead of on
the road to get a softer
sensation. The heel pod
contains more beads to
provide greater impact
absorption, while the front
pod is tuned differently to
maximise energy return
as you toe off. There’s no
sockliner here – your foot
rests directly on top of the
bead pods, the idea being
that this allows them to
conform better to the shape
of your foot. At the time
of going to press, we had
not had the chance to
thoroughly test the Joyride
but a full review is available
at runnersworld.com/uk/
nikejoyride.