First running shoe from US brand Tracksmith
For the past eight years, the US running brand Tracksmith has established a reputation for high-quality, vintage-inspired running clothing. Now, in a surprising but intriguing move, it is going into high-performance footwear.
The shoe, which Tracksmith is calling the Eliot Runner, uses Pebax foam to provide what the US firm says is 'a perfect balance of cushioning and responsiveness with a classic aesthetic that blazes a new path for performance footwear'.
'Our goal has always been to design products for the specific needs of the committed runner,' said Matt Taylor, founder and CEO. 'Although we launched the brand with apparel, footwear has always been a strategic priority given the significant role it plays in a runner’s daily life. We worked for several years to develop an everyday trainer that would address the fundamental needs of this athlete: versatile performance over a range of speeds and surfaces, with the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness. We zeroed in on every detail, tuning and refining the composition of the raw materials, to create a sensation under foot that runners will love.'
Designed entirely in-house by the Tracksmith team, they describe the shoe as highly responsive, but with a design for a 'wider range of runners and paces' while the rubber outsole is designed to ensure product longevity – as you would expect with a price tag of £195/$198. It offers a neutral ride, and is said to be suitable for everything from easy runs to tempo – something Runner's World will of course be testing when we can.
The brand prides itself on using high-quality materials, and this has also been bought to the shoe design, particularly in the use of the now gold-standard Pebax foam. Only used initially in carbon fibre-plated racing shoes, the super lightweight foam has a combination of softness and spring that has revolutionised racing shoes. Some sports scientists even suggest that it is the foam more than the plate – or at least a combination of the two – that gives the new generation of running shoes their speed.
As well as the Pebax, the Tracksmith shoe has what they call a thicker internal footbed instead of the standard thin sockliner. Combining the two is said to be what gives the shoe its super responsive ride.
The name of the shoe is inspired by the brand's origins in Boston - the hare motif that adorns all of Tracksmith's clothing is called Eliot, which in turn references both the Eliot Lounge in Boston, a legendary runner's bar and the Eliot Bridge loop, a popular running route in the city.
Though the move into footwear may seem bold for a company with no experience of shoe design, it's not surprising that a company would hope for a slice of the $127 billion global athletic shoe market. And in recent years newer brands like On and Altra have started to take a small but significant slice of market share as the demand for running shoes shows no signs of abating.
This week Tracksmith open their first store in London, initially as a pop-up during the London Marathon period, but then permanently from November. The shoe, meanwhile, has initially a limited run, and though also not in stock until November is already available for pre-order.
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