Sunday, September 08, 2019

ASICS Eternal Run Experiment Launches the GLIDERIDE Trainer. We Ran!

Article by Sam Winebaum

The ASICS Eternal Run
Watch as ASICS launched the Glideride at a spectacular event on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the desert two hours west of Salt Lake City, a race on a seemingly infinite and totally flat salt surface. 
The Eternal Race had a unique  race format with no set course beyond a general direction, no timing, and no limits beyond staying below a predetermined  pace. 30 runners from all around the world, of differing ages and abilities, including RoadTrailRun Editor Sam  Winebaum, were honored to attend and take on the challenge on the endless Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
PLEASE WATCH OUR VIDEO OF THE ETERNAL RUN 

The target pace was determined by a perceived exertion test (RPE) done and recorded on a provided Garmin Forerunner 245 Music the week before the event. The test was 15 minutes total: 3 minutes easy, 1 min walk jog, then repeat with each 3 minute segment progressively harder until "Extremely Hard" done by each runner in the week prior to the event. 

My target pace was 10:30 mile with target paces characterized by ASICS scientists as "moderate" Seemed about right a bit slow but read on. 2019 NCAA 10,000 meter champion Clayton Young, a new ASICS pro, was assigned 7:29 per mile and was expected to go 64 miles at that pace. We were told after the event how far they expected us to go a target pace. I was told 22 miles. Exceed the target pace for even a few seconds up to three times and you were out. The only data available to runners, on a specially set up Garmin Forerunner 245 Music was current pace. Nothing else. No distance, no time, no average pace, no heart rate. 

 I made it 12 miles before getting tapped out averaging 9:56 mile.s Running on sometimes soft and sticky salt was tough as was the focus required not to even momentarily exceed the target pace. Post run I was surprised, as were others, at how high our heart rates were. In the mid 150's when typically for that pace I would be around 140 or so. 

Due to recent rain the salt surface was in places saturated with water and very sticky building up on the shoes.

ASICS GLIDERIDE

WATCH OUR ASICS GLIDERIDE VIDEO REVIEW


The ASICS GLIDERIDE ($150), releasing 9/27/19, ia a new direction for ASICS. This stable neutral trainer features ASICS Guide Sole, a technology that seeks to minimize lower leg movement  and energy efficiency through a combination of a stiff platform and curved midsole platform with an accentuated forward rocker and EVA propulsion plate. The specifics of the overall approach are below,
  • Reduce the energy taken away on heel strikes
  • Improve propulsion by optimizing efficiency (primarily for heel strikers) by keeping the angle of ankle dorsiflexion ( flexing ankle up) and plantar flexion (flexing toes down) constant during the gait cycle with a stiff sole while using the significant forward rocker to propel toe off. The idea is to reduce energy loss at the ankle joint and shift the body forward. Initial studies show a reduction of ankle joint energy loss of 19% vs. conventional shoes in the category. 
  • Move the center of mass further back than normal so as to reduce the pendulum at the rear leg and thus the effort to swing the rear leg forward to next stride.
It differs from the "concept shoe" Meta Ride (RTR Review) in being approximately 0.8 oz / 23 g lighter at 10.2 oz / 289 g, having a 5mm drop on a 31mm heel / 26 mm forefoot platform instead of the zero drop of the Meta, including the EVA propulsion plate and being $100 less expensive.  ASCIS calls out targeted competitors as Hoka's Carbon X and Bondi along with Nike Zoom Fly and my testing indicates those are valid comparatives.
UPDATE: Full Written Review HERE
Read reviewers' full run bios here
The product reviewed was provided at no cost. The opinions herein are the authors'.
Comments and Questions Welcome Below!
Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes

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