Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 74, September 2015 | Seite 37

tried & tested

Ma

It’s always great to test a
new shoe that lives up to
its speedy name, and the
New Balance Vazee Pace
did just that. – BY SEAN FALCONER

SETTING THE PACE
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Images: Courtesy New Balance

ate last year New Balance announced its new
Vazee line, which is pronounced vah-zee and is a play
on the French phrase “vas-y,” which means “Let’s go!”
This new range of lightweights comes in two models,
the premium Pace and the ever-so-slightly heavier
Rush (due to more stitching in the upper), both with
a 6mm heel-to-toe drop for best possible speed
transition. In other words, they’re designed to go fast,
but still provide enough cushioning for longer runs.
As John Andrew, Product Manager at New Balance
South Africa, says, “The Vazee is all about speed, but
you can run right up to Comrades in the Pace, as it is
well cushioned and durable, but still lightweight and
speedy enough for faster, shorter runs as well. The
Rush is slightly more entry-level, but still offers great
cushioning and performance.”
Now there are a number of really good lightweight
cushioned shoes available right now, so the Vazee is
entering a very competitive market. These shoes fit in
between the minimalist craze (which appears to be dying
out quickly) and the new desire for maximal cushioning,
instead offering just enough cushioning in a design that
is just plain fun to run in! These are also colourful, eyecatching shoes, with the initial launch seeing the men’s
Pace come in orange-red and the women’s in lime green,
while the Rush has a 50-50 combination of red and grey
(men) or lime and grey (women).

FIRM BUT RACY

The Pace is being marketed as the replacement for
the 890 model, and is actually built on the same sole
as the 890 version 5, but with the same new upper
of the Fresh Foam Zante, so it’s a mixture of old and
new. When I put them on for a test drive, I found that
the shoe has a light and responsive ride, thanks to its
REVlite midsole foam rubber, but is slightly firmer than
its super-cushioned Fresh Foam cousins. The shoe
still feels flexible, though, and I found that the outsole
pods and midsole flex zones provide a smooth ride.
Another noticeable design feature is the aggressive
curving of the forefoot, which is meant to help you
roll into your next stride faster, and I actually felt like I
picked up my tempo in these shoes.
The other bonus for me was the contrast between
the bootie construction of the mid section of the
upper versus the roomy forefoot – I wear half-size
shoes due to having slightly wider feet, so a slightly
bigger toebox is always welcome! The bootie section
really hugs your foot well, while the forefoot section
allows your toes to spread, thus giving you a more
comfortable and stable toe-off. The mesh upper of the
Pace is also wonderfully light and breathable, and I
found the three inverted Y overlays in the key midfoot
flex area guided my foot well through the flex.
Overall, I found the Pace firmer than some of the
lightweights from other brands, but when I picked
up pace they responded well, and I actually enjoyed
a different feel to outright plush cushioning for a
change-up. This shoe feels fast, so if you’re looking for
a lightweight model that can handle both speedwork
and distance, the Vazee Pace is a great call.

NAME OF THE GAME
New Balance has traditionally used a
numbering system for all its shoe names,
so for example the 860 was replaced by the
861, which in turn gave way to the 862, and
so forth. Meanwhile, the higher-end technical
running shoes were either in the 800, 1000
or 1200 ranges, with the 1000s and 1200s
incorporating more features than the 800s.
Now the company is building on its key
platforms, so the current road shoe ranges
being brought to SA are:
• Fresh Foam: Zante & Boracay – for
softness and cushioning.
• Vazee: Pace and Rush – for lightweight
performance.
• NBx: 880 and 1080 (neutral), 860 and
1260 (stability) – more traditional models
Going forward, the numbering system will
denote the following: 10 – trail, 40 – motion
control, 60 – stability, 80 – neutral and 90 –
lightweight.

Available from July in Sportsmans
Warehouse, leading Totalsports
branches, running specialist stores
and all New Balance Concept
stores, with the Pace retailing at a
recommended R1799 and the Rush
for R1399.
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