All the news that's fit to run
Let’s be honest: the first edition of a running shoe usually blows. That’s just shoe science. I mean, think about it: there haven’t yet been a dozen updates of minuscule changes that totally improve how the shoe performs. Just look at how far the original Brooks Ghost has come! Totally. Find out why the Ellipse is the rare exception to the rule, in this New Balance Ellipse review.
Acknowledging that some runners prefer the reassurance of returning the exact way they came rather than committing to a loop route, New Balance announced plans today to construct a state-of-the-art “OUT-AND-BACK” facility as an alternative to the “TRACK.”
Notice anything different about the shoe name? Say goodbye to Fresh Foam X! New Balance finally replaces outdated Fresh Foam X with a supercritical Infinion—which sounds less like a midsole and more like an underwhelming Christopher Nolan film. But are the updates enough to upgrade the daily trainer to another level?
It’s been a few years since I last ran in New Balance’s softest and most cushioned pair. The shoe has always played second fiddle to its older, less chubby sibling, the Fresh Foam X 1080. And New Balance loves to play favorites: there’s a reason the “Run your way” company — not to be confused with Burger King’s “Have it your way”— says if they made only one shoe, it’d be the 1080. Ouch, that’s got to deflate the gigantic stack height of the More a little, right? Find out if the shoe deserves more of the spotlight.
The Balos has accomplished quite the feat: it’s the first running shoe you can simultaneously pronate and supinate in! I didn’t think that was conceivable, but as New Balance says: “Impossible is nothing.” Wait, I think that’s Nike’s tagline. I’m exaggerating, of course, but if you’re not a neutral runner, do not try this shoe. Hell, even if you are a neutral runner, this shoe may not work for you. It’s one of the least stable shoes I’ve run in…ever.
When you look up the word “smooth” in your online dictionary of choice, there’s a picture of the New Balance FuelCell Rebel. Just kidding. There are no pictures in online dictionaries, only printed versions as ancient as the fever-brained fogeys who still use them. But if there were pictures in online dictionaries, there would definitely be a photo of the Rebel; it just feels so…well…smooth to run in.