I consider myself to be a slow runner, and enjoy doing a non-stop circuit of six kilometers a day. The tough part about being a runner, is maintaining your speed, if not running faster, and also avoiding injury. One of the quick-tricks is to keep your running shoes updated with the latest tech. While Nike is doing its bit to ensure every runner gets moving faster, they are also looking at the potential of reducing runner injury.
The Nike React Infinity Run is a step in this direction. Let’s rewind a bit – Nike brought out Zoom Vaporfly 4% in 2017 – it was a shoe that focused in enhancing the speed in the sprint. That year we also saw Nike React, which is a proprietary foam, whose cushioning is path-breaking. Essentially, to craft a shoe that is going to help you run faster, provide the comfort and reduce the risk of injury – you need a soft, resilient, lightweight and durable shoe.
The Nike React Infinity Run
The footwear in the spotlight is the Nike React Infinity Run – which marries the best of the two technologies. What this means is – here is a shoe that marries biomechanical efficiency and cushioning. The Infinity Run is a comfortable shoe that is soft and has a responsive platform.
It has a widened midsole and quite like the construction of the 4%, this new shoe has a ‘rocker-like bottom’, that gives a more fluid transition when your stride of foot strike to toe off. The point of the shoe is to impact your running and once you slip them on, they feel very stable on your feet.
The Infinity’s Rocker-geometry
The spring in the React foam aids in your run and the ‘rocker-geometry’ gives your stance a slight lean forward. This means, your foot strike from heel to midfoot, or even forefoot, gives the natural ‘forward feel of propulsions’.
The wider platform, and the supportive foam that accompanies it, provides a reassuring feel — the shoe gently guides the foot in a smooth, straight line, reducing side-to-side wobbling and movement. Essentially, this is a shoe that will not fit into the routine of the silo of interval or tempo, long run or race.
It’s best suited for base-run days, middle-mileage and moderate efforts. To put into perspective, the external study by the British Columbia Sports Medicine Research Foundation saw 52% lesser injuries in the 226 runners that wore Nike React Infinity Run and the Nike Structure 22. In fact, the wearers of the Nike React Infinity experienced less pain in their knees and feet.
The Nike React Infinity Run will be available from January 16, 2020.