![]() ![]() One researcher, Benno Nigg, professor emeritus of kinesiology and director of Human Performance Lab at the University of Calgary, suggested that your body knows best. ![]() Throwing out running shoes altogether wasn’t the answer, but neither was returning to overbuilt, stiff, heavy, controlling shoes. The research that led the minimalist movement, proving that shoes didn’t work to prevent injury as we had once believed, didn’t just disappear. At that point, a majority of runners, sidelined with injuries, found minimalist shoes to be untenable, and most of the running community quickly returned to shoes with more padding.īut by then, the world had changed. But in 2012, a class-action lawsuit against Vibram FiveFingers for deceptive advertising was the loud thud that marked the end of the minimalist running movement. Propelled by new research touting the benefits of light, “barefoot-like” shoes, minimalism experienced a meteoric rise. In 2009, Christopher McDougall published a book called Born to Run, which challenged what was historically accepted about running shoes-namely, that perhaps we didn’t need so much shoe-and some believe it launched the barefoot or minimalist movement. RELATED: 8 Mistakes Runners Make When Buying Running Shoes To understand what made the world ready to embrace bouncy-foam shoes, let’s rewind a few years. But the question is, does it really make for a better run? Seems like every major shoe company now makes its own hero foam. There’s also Under Armour’s new HOVR foam, Reebok Floatride Foam, Saucony Everun, and New Balance Fresh Foam. In 2017, we also saw Altra design its first shoes with the cleverly named Altra Ego foam, which-you guessed it-distinguishes itself by its soft step-in feel and bouncy ride. Last September, Brooks revealed its DNA AMP foam, also touting a blend of cushioning and energy return. “You not only get great energy return-13 percent greater than Lunarlon-but a much softer experience as well.” For a runner who wants a shoe that feels springy and light and can hold up through plenty of miles, Kim believes Nike nailed it with React. “React is our most complete foam ever,” gushes Ernest Kim, Director of Advanced Footwear at Nike Running. In a trend sweeping the running-shoe industry, Nike is centering its attention and fanfare on the properties of this newfangled foam, rather than highlighting other parts of the shoe. The sneaker is a sleek little number with a simple, knitted upper that sits atop a single layer of extra-thick “React” foam. In February, Nike released it’s epic React Flyknit running shoe. ![]()
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