HIGHEST FIVE VOL.57
Here's what's hot in running right now!
Ok, New York Marathon over, only Valencia left for this year and we’re kinda back to normal, right? As this newsletter hasn’t come out too often over the last weeks, it’s good to be back. Had a little give-away after reaching 60k followers on Instagram (thx to each and everyone for the support), the winner is Paul Merkel - already sent an email to him so no chance to steal his identity, haha. No, i know nobody would do that. Thanks for all entries and i hope you guys don’t just leave after not winning. Why? Because we’re improving this whole newsletter and for the first time, we're having a running shoe review included. Sam Lohse will - from now on - once in a while support this newsletter with review of mostly trail shoes as he’s running trails way more than i do. Thx for the support, review’s the last topic today!
Now back to business and back to what’s (in my humble opinion) is hot in running right now. I reflect a lot about what “hot” means in that case and to be honest, i don’t have a final conclusion. What’s not hot is being a (fast) influencer runner guy running NYC shirtless and being accompanied by 2 electric bikes, like wtf are you thinking!?
With “hot” i don’t always mean most hyped product or collab (but it can mean that), but also an amazing story, great efforts, interesting indie brands or whatever else i think is worth to be talked about. So let’s start (with the hottest collab obviously, haha)
1 SATISFY X HOKA PT.3
Ok, two more colorways of the Mafate Lite Speed with Satisfy will be out soon and damn, light grey and all-black look mighty fine! Release on November 15th i think. Personally i have problems with the heel as it’s relatively thin and i’m not sure if i could run long in them. But otherwise i enjoy wearing them all day.
Another thing that came to my mind was this post from Satisfy on LinkedIn the other day. I’m looking forward to how wmns apparel will change the brand or if it’s “just” wmns fittings. ALSO: Footwear as a new category? Like their own shoes, not collabs? I mean they presented Jean-Marc Djian as the new VP footwear in Chamonix and he has lots of experience from Salomon, Amer and The North Face. I AM EXCITED to see what’s next.
2 Irregular Practice at FFM Marathon
Feeling pretty proud about this one as what started as a group of running friends is kind of a running movement in Frankfurt, Germany, right now. For Frankfurt Marathon (2nd biggest in Germany, should give it a try, right?), we teamed up with Hoka for a huge shake out run and lots of activities around the weekend, including a marathon briefing for beginners, a community pop up and cheering on sunday. See y’all soon, friends! 2025 will be Irregular!
3 Autumn Trailrunning with the Tecton X2
Here’s another personal thing: i’d love to trail-run the whole year. No km on asphalt, only woods and trails. But living in a city, having a job and a family kind of interferes with that. So i don’t get to trail running too often. I try to get my altitude elsewhere and Strava says i’ve never collected more altitude than this year (with some more to come), but i feel that i didn’t run the local trails as much as in the years before. Well, trying to change that right now. So i did a 15k loop with 500 hm this wednesday and it felt amazing. First time in the Tecton X2 and DAMN that’s a good one. Maybe a bit too competitive for easy trails but man, this one made me run crazy fast downhill as it feels really stable and still comfortable. Also this colorway is made to be out in the woods. Had a foggy start but breached the fog at some point, reaching the sunny part of the local hills. good feeling.
4 The North Face x Undercover
Clear Ninja vibes on this collab. I can work with this dark purple & black very much and really like the pieces - you don’t see the 38l backpack in the post but it’s very versatile and quality’s mad. Will post about that soon!
"Discover oneness between body, mind and the earth with SOUKUU, a collaboration by @undercover_lab and The North Face."
5 ASICS Novablast 5
Asics pre-released the v5 of everybody’s favorite (ok, my favorite) allround running shoe around NYC Marathon and i still hope to get my hands on it soon. Very good trainer, for every purpose imho.
6 TRAIT - uncommon training
Yeah, another shameless self promo? Yeah, because in my opinion it’s a good product. I started working for an app called TRAIT in september. Trait provides training plans for running, fuelled by sports science and supported by AI. Freemium version includes free training plans for the usual distances.
Not backed by a big corporate, hand-made by a small team with ever-growing ideas and slow day-to-day progress to work on the app. Have a look and download if you wanna support it, won’t ask again, i promise. Here you go!
7 OUTANDBACKSTORE in Aberdeen
I’m always all-in for a good retail store. And to be honest, classic running retail is usually not my pair of shoes. That’s ok. OUTANDBACK is one of those stores, i think i really like and want to support as i can see people putting love in it and share a vision (with me?) about running, aesthetics, brand portfolio and the like. Wish you guys all the best! Here’s the page!
8 Trail Review #1 - Hoka Tecton X3
By Sam Lohse
Rundown: A beefed-up version of Hoka’s supershoe line, the Tecton is back with a whole new upper, upgraded traction, and all around speedy fit.
Hoka returns with the third installment of the Tecton series, a super shoe built for speedy miles over the trail. With the first two shoes following a similar blueprint with minimal differences, the X3 sees a large revamp, tuning in on an upgraded midsole experience, more reliable outsole, and an overall more comfortable fit, all put together nicely in a deep blue colorway.
Performance:
The Tecton X3 features a full PEBA, two-piece midsole with twin, symmetrical carbon plates running up and down the shoe stacked in-between. For those unfamiliar with PEBA, this is a foam typically used in racing/fast-paced shoes that is one of the most responsive and bouncy foams in the industry. The X3 is fun and springy, especially enjoyed over mellow singletrack. It’s also surprisingly soft and comfortable.
Let’s talk about the carbon plate. The X3’s plate consists of two pieces running parallel to each other, and they wing up to cup your foot (the plate is visible on the sidewalls of the shoes). Besides the extra pop the pate will give you, the two-piece construction allows your foot balance and movement on the trails. This adds a level of stability.
The Upper consists of a full matryx mesh with a sock bootie to help keep debris and rocks out, acting like a built in gaiter. It’s got a nice stretch to it, but holds shape well. The matryx upper breathes well and drains water, which is clutch for a shoe meant to go ultra distances. The lace pattern is straightforward and snug on the bridge of your foot. Some TPU overlays protect the toes and other soft spots of the foot.
To bring it all together, the X3 received an updated Vibram Litebase outsole. It consists of arrow-like lugs with Vibram microlug tech for some added grip. It’s a super light and sticky compound that, for a racing shoe, will give you solid grip in most scenarios. The minimal rubber design allows for lots of flex in the shoe.
What We Like:
Like I mentioned, this shoe is a soft and comfortable ride. Oftentimes, carbon-plated shoes can become uncomfortable over consistent use as the plate is super stiff. I haven’t found that issue with the X3. When I’m taking them out for a mellow cruise, I hardly notice the plate. When I want to fast, I can feel the immediate energy transfer from the PEBA midsole and the plate. It’s fun and bouncy. The upper is super comfy - like very comfy - and it makes it an easy shoe choice for me. This outsole on the X3 is much better than the previous Tecton versions, and the shoe is confidence inspiring. The shoe performs really well on mild to moderate terrain. Despite the price tag, it’s actually a pretty approachable “super shoe” for someone interested in trying one out. I love the muted blue colorway. Just enough pop with the red laces to make it stand out. I hope Hoka continues to offer us some more mellow colorways like this. Aesthetically, I think this is one of Hoka’s best looking trail shoes.
What We Didn’t Like:
The biggest con for me was the experience with the upper on technical terrain. I found my foot moving around the bed and stretching with the upper, which leads to a less than stable ride. This shoe excelled at races like Western States, where the terrain is super runnable. With that in mind, it somewhat limits where I’m willing to use this shoe, which can be a con depending on your trail variability/preference. I also already have some tear in the matryx, which does seem a little odd for the typical durability of this weave (maybe it’s just my pair?).
Again, this shoe is meant to be a plated racer, performing best in ‘runnable’ environments where your steps are sure and stable. With that in mind, my con is derived from situations the shoe was likely not designed to be in. Of course, $275 is a lot to pay for a shoe, but that’s just the market these days.
Tecton X3 Summary:
Hoka took a gamble with the X3 updates, and they paid off. This shoe is an improved experience from the previous versions. Behind all the technicalities is a shoe that’s built to move quick and efficiently over terrain, and the X3 does just that. It’s a relatively smooth ride with a comfortable fit that suits miles and miles of distance. Hoka set out to create a super shoe that could handle some of the most physically demanding trail races. With that, their runners demanded a lot out of the shoe. The Tecton X3 steps up and meets these demands.
Men’s Weight: 9.7oz (US 9)
Women’s Weight: 8.6oz (US 7.5)
Drop: 5mm (40mm heel, 35mm forefoot)
Price: $275
Sizing: True to size