Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 117, April 2019 | Page 45

TRIED & TESTED
shoes featuring more or deeper flex grooves in the
forefoot to increase flexibility and allow a more natural
toe-off, with the foot given freedom to flex more.
In contrast, this shoe provides a more rigid rocker
motion to help rock you forwards, instead of making
your muscles do all of that work alone.
PUTTING IT TO THE TEST
drop from heel to toe. Whereas most running shoes
have a higher stack in the heel and drop a few
millimetres down to the forefoot, this shoe does not
drop. Instead, it has a prominent upward curve in the
forefoot that simulates a drop as you pivot forwards,
but without putting you in an unnatural toes-down
position in the first place.
I took the MetaRide for a few runs at different paces,
both slow and fast, and I definitely noticed the rocker
kicking in as I transitioned forwards on to my toes. I
rather enjoyed the ‘helping hand’ I was getting, but I
did find that the rigidity of the shoes took some getting
used to, given that most of the other models I have run
in for the past few years have tended to have super-
flexing forefeet. As a result, when I tried to go faster
in the shoes, in a time trial type of run, then I really
noticed – and appreciated – the rocker motion, and to
be honest, I preferred them at speed versus the long,
slow stuff, purely because I am used to super-flexing
lightweight models. That’s a personal preference, not
an indication of the merits of this shoe.
I am therefore of the opinion that you need to put
some serious mileage in with these shoes to really
feel the effect of the energy-saving rocker motion,
when your feet and leg muscles are tired. As I am
not running those kinds of distances at the moment,
I cannot tell you if the shoe delivers on that promise,
but the good folks at Asics report that their wear-
testers have indeed reported this to be the case.
These shoes are admittedly pricey at R3500 a pair, but
if they can save you 20% of your energy expenditure
over the long run, I’d say they’re worth the investment.
I mean, just imagine getting to the last third of
Comrades or Two Oceans, and having 20% more
energy than usual. Now that would be something!
GET IT HERE:
The new Asics MetaRide sells at a recommended
retail price of R3500, and is available in limited
quantities from ASICS retail and online stores and
specialist run outlets from 28th February.
Stockists: ASICS Canal Walk & Mall of Africa,
Sportsmans Warehouse, The Athletes Foot, RUN,
Run-Away-Sport, The Sweat Shop, TotalSports
and Brian Bands Sports.
The midsole feels most substantial behind the ball of
your foot – you notice it when you first put them on,
but you soon get used to it. The whole point here is to
place your centre of gravity towards the back of the
shoe, thus helping your foot swing through each stride
quickly and easily. This is because instead of pushing
you on to the forefoot instantly, as most running shoes
try to do, this design makes you sit on your haunches
a split second longer, then slingshots you forwards
instead of dropping you forwards. That’s about the
best way to describe the concept.
The shoe is thus rather firm – much more so than
normal running shoes – and you will not be able to
bend it with your hands, as you often see runners
doing when looking at a new shoe. This goes against
many of the design trends of recent years, with most
45