Competitor - June 2017

20 GEAR

WEARABLE TECH

PHOTO: OLIVER BAKER

SMART RUNNING SHOES

BY SAM WINEBAUM

For the past several years, watches, trackers and phone apps have allowed

runners to keep track of their pace, distance, time and heart rate. Now, running

shoes have emerged that seek to provide “built-in” sensing of biomechanics

with companion apps that provide views of the data plus coaching.

ALTRA RUNNING TORIN IQ, $220

Weights: 9.3 oz. (men), 7.4 oz. (women)

Heel-to-Toe Offset: 0mm; 28mm (heel), 28mm (forefoot)

The Torin IQ is based on Altra’s best-selling Torrin shoe, but adds a

sophisticated biomechanics sensing and coaching system. Embedded

in the midsole of each shoe are three razor thin G-force sensors, accel-

erometers and capture pods that feed data in real time to the Altra IQ

app. The pods have replaceable coin batteries that Altra says should last

up for to 400 miles at 10-minute pace. The Torin IQ is an outstanding,

beautifully crafted daily trainer but given its cost runners may want to

use it more occasionally as a tool to establish and keep good form

habits, especially during uptempo and speed runs where form can go

south. The system continuously measures and transmits landing zone,

cadence, impact rate and ground contact time for both feet to your

phone, which must be with you as you run. Perching your phone or a

tablet on a treadmill is the ideal way to get real time visual indication of

landing zone locations and all the metrics. The audio form coaching tips

tend to emphasize upper body and arm carriage, as research has shown

that getting this right improves cadence, reduces ground contact time

and leads to softer landings with less over-striding. For example, you

could hear: “It looks like you are over-striding. To fi x this, try popping

your elbows back and don’t let them extend forward past your hips.”

You can choose to receive general running tips or get more reactive

form correction coaching based on the sensor data.

UNDER ARMOUR SPEEDFORM GEMINI 3 RE, $160

Weights: 9.9 oz. (men), 8.3 oz. (women)

Heel-to-Toe Offset: 8mm; 27mm (heel), 19mm (forefoot)

While the Torin IQ is a sophisticated form coaching system, the Gemini

3 RE keeps things simple. A single sensor pod is embedded in the right

shoe. The battery is not replaceable and is designed to last the life of

the shoe. The Gemini works in conjunction with UA’s MapMyRun app for

data storage and sharing, and if you run with your phone, it’ll additionally

give you cadence. You don’t need to run with your phone for the shoe

to record what we found are accurate distances and paces vs. high-end

GPS watches. That makes this shoe great for treadmill running, or city

running where buildings can interfere with GPS signals. There is no way

yet to pause or auto pause a run when without a phone. The shoe will

detect you have stopped for good after 3 minutes of easy walking or

standing around. An unusual feature of the Gemini 3 RE system is its

Jump Test: six vertical jumps done in rapid succession. It assesses muscle

fatigue and recovery pre-workout. The app then advises an appropriate

intensity for your run. We found it a useful complement to heart rate and

sleep-based recovery scores, which don’t directly consider potential

muscle fatigue. The Gemini itself is a superb daily trainer with a softer,

energetic ride from its Charged Cushioning midsole and a supportive

and comfortable upper. UA also offers the 8-ounce Record-Equipped

Velociti performance trainer/racer ($140), and the 10.4-ounce Europa

RE stability trainer ($160).

CM0617_G_TECH.indd 20 5/11/17 3:13 PM