Competitor - August 2017

18 GEAR

SHOE TALK

The ArT of PAiring ShoeS

By AdAm W. ChAse

Wine goes with cheese. Beer with race

finishes. Compression socks with

shorts. The list of quintessential cou-

plings goes on and on. Sometimes the

selection process seems very subjec-

tive. It’s enough to make you scratch

your head and wonder how the pairing

was made. Who makes these calls?

Like a sommelier recommends

wine pairings, I’ve been known as a

shoemmelier. Given my vast collec-

tion, affection and geekiness when it

comes to footwear for the fleet, I feel

particularly qualified to play match-

maker. Road shoes are the white wine

of running footwear, while trail shoes

are the red. A sommelier wouldn’t

discuss both types of wine in the same

breath, so likewise this shoemmelier

won’t mix road and off-road, purist

that he is.

The scope of running-shoe pairings

can be very broad, so let’s simply look

at which training shoes go with which

racing shoes. When you start training

for a race, you should be prepared with

at least two mainstays. The trainer

should give a little more cushion and

comfort for logging mileage, and the

racer will see you through speed work.

Luckily brands tend to make the

selection easy by making a range of

shoes, and there’s no reason not to

pair racers and trainers with the same

logo. If you are allegiant to a particular

manufacturer, it is a safe bet that the

company’s racing shoe will have a sim-

ilar fit and ride as its trainer. Brands

tend to use the same or very similar

lasts (the forms used to make shoes)

and materials between their racing

and training offerings.

here Are 10 of

The beST PAiringS:

Adidas

race: Boston Boost

Train: Supernova ST

Altra

race: One

Train: Torin

ASiCS

race: 22

Train: GT 2000

brooks

race: Hyperion

Train: Adrenaline

hoka one one

race: Tracer

Train: Bondi

Mizuno

race: Wave Sonic

Train: Wave Rider

new balance

race: 1400

Train: 1080

nike

race: Zoom Fly

Train: Air Zoom Pegasus

on running

race: Cloudflash

Train: Cloudflow

Saucony

race: Fastwich

Train: ISO Freedom

PHOTO

: O

lIve

R^ BA

ke

R

race with hyperion

As the lightest, fastest

offering from Brooks,

this flat gets you up on

your toes with its snappy

midfoot transition.

Train with Adrenaline

This high-mileage

trainer from Brooks is

stable and luxurious,

serving up comfortable

mile after mile. For the

latest road

shoe styles this

summer click

here.

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