Australian Triathlete — December 2017

AustrAliAn triAthlete | 51

oUT oF The BoX

The first thing that got my attention when

I opened the box was the colour – bright

blue! That would certainly stand out in the

crowd at any fun run or triathlon event. I

love bright colours, so I was very excited

about this. According to the ASICS

website the shoes also come in black and

a combination of black/hot pink/Persian

jewel – so you’ve got choices! I was also

instantly impressed with how good the

shoes look, overall – they don’t look bulky,

and the shoelace eyelets are nicely

discrete. And they’re light – at 204g

they’re a lot lighter compared to what I’m

used to. This got my attention. But would

the shoes pass the run test?

The FIT And FeeL

As soon as I put on the shoes, they

instantly felt good – ah, that new-shoes

feel. Despite being light, they felt super

comfortable and cushioned underfoot –

almost bouncy, like walking on clouds. I

felt that the shoe upper hugged my feet

comfortably, without being too tight, and

the discrete eyelets dispersed the lace

tension, enhancing the upper comfort and

fit – the shoes didn’t feel too tight up top

when laced up normally. Also, there was a

generous amount of room in the toe box

meaning my toes didn’t feel squashed,

and the width of the shoe was spot on too

• you want a little bit of room to move in a
  running shoe. Overall, the fit and feel were
  excellent from the first wear. It was time to
  test them on the road.

The CoMFoRT FACToR

My first road test was an eight-kilometre

lunchtime road run (think: a harder

surface compared to softer trails). I was

curious to see what the shoes would feel

like pounding the pavement. I’m excited to

report that I quickly forgot I was wearing

new shoes – not something that typically

happens with new runners. They definitely

passed the comfort factor. Tick! Also,

despite these being a neutral runner, I felt

supported throughout the run, all without

the extra bulk that typically comes with

more supportive shoes. I am sold. They felt

responsive and stable, which is largely

because of the FlyteFoam Midsole

Technology used in the shoes. I felt like the

shoes absorbed most of the impact and

shock of running on the road well. The

Seamless Construction of the shoes

meant no internal rubbing. I also tried the

shoes barefoot (during a treadmill run

session) and still, no rubbing. These shoes

Reviewed by:

Margaret Mielczarek Women’s

the test lab men’s

maintain the comfort factor both if you’re

wearing socks or if you’re barefoot –

perfect for Sprint or Olympic Distance

Triathlons where you might not wear

socks (for a speedy T1).

NB: If you’re worried about running in a

neutral shoe, the DynaFlyte ™ 2 runners

come with a removable Ortholite

Sockliner. This can be removed, so you

could swap it over for an orthotic for

added support.

tHe lONgeR RUN teSt – i felt

LIke I WAs FLyInG

OK. So the shoes work for a shorter run

(<10km). But how would they go during a

longer run? To test this, I wore the shoes

during a half marathon (21.2km) – Run

Melbourne. Like the shorter run, I felt

stable, supported, cushioned yet

lightweight – I felt like I was flying!

Outside of the expected soreness and

discomfort, you might feel after running

21.1km; I didn’t feel any other pain like calf

pain for example. My feet didn’t hurt or

burn – I experienced this once when I ran

more than 20km in new shoes – the

bottoms of my feet felt like they were

burning. I didn’t experience this in the

DynaFlyte ™ 2’s despite only having done

a handful of runs in them leading into the

half marathon. The shoes worked. Tick! I

even managed to walk away with a sneaky

little half marathon PB - very happy.

What’s more, I pulled up better than

expected after the half marathon. To do

with the shoes? Not sure. But I’m thinking,

running in a comfortable pair of shoes that

fit well and feel good – that surely aids

faster recovery!

FInAL VeRdICT

I am sold. I’m really impressed with the

DynaFlyte ™ 2’s - finally, a lightweight

shoe that’s stable and comfortable. I’m

really excited to run in a lightweight shoe

that provides me with the support that I

need without being bulky. I really did feel

like I was flying during the half marathon.

Next stop, Ironman Western Australia. I

can’t wait to wear my new kicks in the

marathon portion of the Ironman.