By Thomas J. Ryan
The Boston Marathon is more than just a race. It’s an annual gathering for the running industry and numerous brands debut new products at the expo. SGB was onsite to check out the new gear around visibility and recovery, as well as optimizing running mechanics and footwear. Here are some highlights.
Shoecue is an insole that encourages a mid- or forefoot strike to promote a natural running stride. The core technology is a textured heel plate with patented bumps that restore essential sensory feedback to the feet that have been diminished through years of cushioned insoles. The heel plate prompts the runner to load their heel less and to run on the ball of their foot more to improve mechanics and positioning. The insole also features guided size ranges for a customized fit. An EVA foam body and a thick thermoplastic impact plate in the heel offers responsiveness and durability.
Reflect Your Gear is a reflective option offered by Safe Reflections, which provides much of the reflective technology used by Asics, Nike, Patagonia and many other major athletic apparel providers. The company converts 3M Scotchlite reflective material into textile applications for
activewear use. Reflect Your Gear is a small patch — akin to and working like a Band-Aid — runners, cyclists or any other outdoor enthusiast can attach to their clothes. The patches can be ironed on, and there’s an adhesive option. The item has an eco-friendly message since it was inspired because Safe Reflections didn’t know what to do with the extra material leftover after working on lines with its brand partners. While Reflect Your Gear is Safe Reflections’ first consumer product, Chuck Gruber, CEO of Safe Reflections, said the company’s partners are enthusiastic about the launch because it gets the message out about the importance of being seen at night.
MBT, known for its dress and casual shoes with a patented rocker sole, in March introduced its first line of running shoes. The soles on the classic MBT are curved to cause imbalance, forcing the wearer to realign their balance. While offering cushioning for maximal fans, the tri-density, rocker sole on MBT’s running line shifts shock absorption from heel to mid-foot to offer more relief than other maximal shoes. It provides max cushioning and protection with the Pivot Strike promoting a natural gait. MTB’s running shoes are categorized into three categories: Lightweight for beginner runners, Performance for avid runner, and Cushioning for recovering from long runs and marathons.
OS1st is a new brand from ING Source, the three-generation family company in Hickory, NC that also makes the OrthoSleeve brand of medical and performance products. The OS1st brand launched last fall with the FS06 Performance Foot Sleeve, was formerly the top-selling Feetures Plantar Fasciitis Sleeve. Often confused with being a sock, the FS06 Performance Foot Sleeve is a brace layer system that helps relieve symptoms of plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, heel pain, foot swelling, and other discomfort. ING Source had been licensing the bracing technology to Feetures but decided to take it in-house as part of a plan to broadly expand the range this year. OS1st now offers recovery compression sleeves for the calf, elbow, knees, legs, patellar tendon, wrist and thigh.
RooSport has been selling its runner pouches on its website since 2011 and at 120 to 150 marathon expos a year but has recently branched out to selling retail. The pouches, which hold iPods, cell phones, keys, energy gels, etc., offer magnetic flaps that attach over a runner’s waistband anywhere they want it to. Along with a wide variety of colors, the RooSport Plus comes with a larger design to handle plus-sized phones. The RooSport 2.0’s offers a concealed zipper pocket.
Night Runner 270° Shoe Lights are water-resistant, lightweight, bright LEDs that clip onto the laces of running shoes for exercising at night. Once fitted, the 75-lumen LED beams provide up to 30 meters (100 feet) of visibility and 270-degree coverage. The lights — which are comprised of multiple white LEDs facing forward and a single red one facing backwards to make a runner visible from behind — are contained in a bilateral winged housing which is both water-resistant and able to withstand high-impact activities. The batteries are recharged via a micro-USB port and last between four and eight hours, depending on the level of usage. The just-launched product was funded by a Kickstarter campaign last year and inspired after its Co-founder Renata Storer injured himself falling into a pothole while training for the New York Marathon.
RunLites is a safety glove with a built-in flashlight and padded palm pocket that can be used to store ID cards, money, an iPod or other carry items. Ideal for nighttime or low-light activity, including running, walking, cycling or hunting, the gloves are bright (set for 40 lumens or 80 lumens) and provide a 135-degree radial arc of light up to 15 feet ahead. A rechargeable battery lasts up to 48-hours. The reflective strip and adjustable power options offer added safety. Available in half length (fingers exposed) or full-length for cold weather.
Rad is best known for its Rad Roller which was launched last year and designed to replicate the firm but soft hands of a therapist to offer a step above the tennis ball or lacrosse ball some athletes use to loosen their muscles. Co-developed by biomechanics specialist Mike Mallory and accomplished triathlete Dan McIntosh, the Rad Roller is compact and portable and precise enough to target almost every muscle in the body. The patent-pending design has expanded to include three densities for the Rad Roller and Rad overall has expanded to a number of mobility products. These include the Rad Helix roller that unlocks stiffness on two planes and flushes out toxins to promote healthy, open posture; as well as the Rad Rod thin, a portable myofascial release tool.
ACU-Mobility launched its Eclipse Foam Roller with a Kickstarter campaign last fall. A combined foam roller and trigger point release tool, the Eclipse Roller features four zones of compression and five pressure strips to help users target multiple muscle groups at the same time to reduce rolling time. The shape enables users to target muscles and angles they could never reach with a traditional roller. ACU-Mobility also recently introduced the Acu-Mobility Ball, an all-in-one tool for mobility and stability exercises as well recovery enhancement.
SHFT, a Denmark-based digital running coach that launched last year in Europe, is now expanding into the United States. Through a system of intelligent pods placed on the foot and chest, SHFT measures and analyzes the wearer’s running mechanics, including foot strike patterns, cadence and bounce. Live feedback and coaching are provided while running. SHFT said small adjustments to running mechanics can support a more economical style that will keep a runner’s legs fresher for longer.
Photos courtesy Boston Marathon
