[Editor’s note: Jeroen van Geelen is an editor-at-large on Slowtwitch, charged with a specific portfolio: technical running. Jeroen owns Total Running, one of the more important running and triathlon retail establishments in The Netherlands.]
They are not necessarily for the fastest among us or just only for the pros. If you run your marathon leg in under foiur hours you need to seriously consider a lighter training shoe unless you are a heavy pronator, and even then…
The triathlon market is becoming more and more a focus of bigger companies and you can see that Zoot is not the only one with a specific triathlon shoe. For this October there are—next to the already established Zoot shoes—more triathlon specific shoes.
For example the Adidas Adizero Kona. It’s an excellent racing shoe with a midsole in common with the Adizero Adios. This is not the lightest racing shoe from Adidas but one that still gives you some cushioning after an already demanding swim and bike. The Kona had a neoprene upper with one large Velcro strap that puts your feet where you want it in the shoe. The neoprene upper gives some extra support. I find this one an excellent model for the faster neutral runner who likes to leave no time in the transition zone. Of course it’s also a great choice for shorter distances.
Also available now is the Asics Noosa Tri. This is a similar model of the DS Trainer which is a little heavier and that makes this model more suitable for runners who need some support. It has a moderate midpost to give some extra added support against a tired, pronating foot. The inner side of the upper is almost seamless, so no rubbing there, and there is a special suede-like material in the heel to prevent heel slippage while barefoot running. No really special fastening system here. They come with standard- and elastic laces.
The shoe we need to put in: The K-Swiss K-ona. The only shoe with “Ironman” all over it. I still find it a bummer that they didn’t produce this shoe with one or two Velcro straps but for the rest of it is a really, really nice shoe. And that for a tennis company!
They proved themselves last year at their introduction in Kona where competitors were seen wearing them during the race after just buying them (they were released just a few days before the race at the Expo). Since most of us need to qualify for Kona you have to be pretty sure about your shoes to wear them with no training on them whatsoever. They fall just between the Adizero Kona and the Asics DS Trainer. They are light, breathable and they have excellent water drainage—a feature this shoe has in spades over the models above. It has a slight medial post to give stability but, they feel so supple.
They proved themselves last year at their introduction in Kona where competitors were seen wearing them during the race after just buying them (they were released just a few days before the race at the Expo). Since most of us need to qualify for Kona you have to be pretty sure about your shoes to wear them with no training on them whatsoever. They fall just between the Adizero Kona and the Asics DS Trainer. They are light, breathable and they have excellent water drainage—a feature this shoe has in spades over the models above. It has a slight medial post to give stability but, they feel so supple.
Next season promises to be even better in triathlon specific shoes. What should we think of the all new Scott T-2 transition shoe? Available around January/February 2010, Scott has developed a real triathlon shoe with a fast transition in mind but also with a specific design that enhances the use of the midfoot strike. I’m an advocate of triathletes trying to teach themselves a midfoot strike—assuming they don’t already have this footfall—instead of a heel strike. The latter is so much more demanding on the body and it holds you back because of its braking effect on your forward propulsion. The Scott has a slightly lower heel to enhance a midfoot strike.
But the real “tri” design on this shoe is the ski boot like heel. This heel almost completely opens up, and you can close it with one pull. The system needs to be calibrated ed once before you start, to adjust the tightness when closed. After that it works, and it works better than it looks. You would think that such a system cannot give support, or, it would be negative on the fit. But it isn’t. I think that it is faster than any elastic lace system on the market and it surely gives a better fit than any of these systems.
But also the almost seamless—no separate tongue—upper makes the shoe great for no-sock running. Furthermore the shoes are made with drainage holes which really work in combination with the perforated insoles. There is reflective material on the shoes for anyone who finishes in Ironman races after the sun has set. The midsole gives enough support and cushioning and the weight is within reach of most lightweight trainers or heavier racing flats.
I think Scott created a new standard for triathlon specific shoes, and it is now up to the big companies to develop new models—we’ll see that they take our sport seriously. In the meantime a company like Scott earns our respect and deserves our business—if the shoes fits you, of course.
There are also rumours that Saucony is coming out with a new triathlon model as well, but nothing seen so far. The company had some models in the mid-to-late 90s, with Velcro closure systems, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they come up with a real triathlon shoe next year. We will just have to wait.
[If you like what Jeroen has written for our Slowtwitch readers, and if the Netherlands is a convenient country from which to buy, most of the shoes about which he writes can be purchased at Jeroen's click and mortar store: Total Running.]
