#supershoe

A HOKA acaba de lançar oficialmente no Brasil o novo Cielo X1 3.0, um dos modelos mais aguardados da temporada e um verdadeiro salto na categoria de tênis de alta performance. Desenvolvido para provas de rua, o modelo chega com proposta clara: entregar máxima velocidade com o menor peso possível. Com apenas 213g no masculino e 175g no feminino, o Cielo X1 3.0 se torna o tênis de competição mais…

WHEN I completed my first marathon in 2006, all I had was a Casio digital watch and a fistful of jelly beans to see me through. Now Fitbits, isotonic energy gels and compression tights are all the rage. The latest elite product is Nike’s ground-breaking £240 Vaporfly trainer.

We test the new £240 high-tech Nike supershoe, as worn by record-breaking runner Eliud Kipchoge, that make you run fasterCredit: Reuters

's Veronica Lorraine managed to get hold of a pair of Vaporflys to help her run her fourth London Marathon in AprilCredit: Oliver Dixon - It is so high-tech that Nike claims it can make you run up to four per cent faster. Others have likened the effect to doping. It was in a prototype Alphafly pair that Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run the marathon’s 26 miles and 385 yards in under two hours last October. And the five fastest ever marathons have been achieved wearing some form of the shoe. Now, after months of speculation, the World Athletics Council has announced they will not be banned from this year’s Tokyo Olympics. I have zero interest in breaking records, but I managed to get hold of a pair of Vaporflys to help me when I run my fourth London Marathon in April. When they arrived in the post, the package was so light I thought there couldn’t possibly be a pair of trainers in there. My £45-in-the-sale Asics are pretty light at 251g.

'LIKENED TO DOPING'

The new Vaporflys are 176g, according to my kitchen scales. My Asics have 30mm of foam in the sole. The Vaporflys boast 40mm of “ultra lite energetic foam” to “deliver an increase in energy return”. They also feature an embedded carbon plate to help propel the runner forwards. When I put them on, I felt like I wasn’t in shoes but just walking on marshmallows. So I bounced down to my local athletics track to try them out. Usain Bolt’s 100m record is 9.58sec. My new trainers helped me cross the line in 20sec — four seconds faster than with my old ones. With the 400m, I lumbered around the track in 1min 44sec — three seconds faster than my previous best. But the real proof would be in the longer runs. My marathon training plan currently has me running one mile slow, then five in under nine minutes a mile — basically as fast as I possibly can.

'HELPING INCREASE MY SPEED'

The first mile went as normal. All my aches and pains flared up, grumbled for a bit then rescinded. I was no faster than in my normal trainers. But when I started to push myself, the Vaporflys came into their own. It still took a great deal of effort, but as the miles went on, it felt easier. I’m not saying I was leaping like a gazelle, but my tired mum-bod seemed to be responding better. I felt like my legs had more energy, and they were definitely bouncing off the pavements more, helping me to increase my speed. My best mile in that run was 8min 19sec, much faster than my recent efforts. I’m sure some of this is psychological — I was working a bit harder just knowing I had the best kit.

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ROYAL SNUBAndrew's 60th bday shunned by pals as Fergie 'scrambles' to make up the numbers And I’m not convinced that over 26 miles the trainers are going to help a knackered, injured, amateur runner like me achieve a spectacular finish. No magic trainer is going to enable you to do that without a ton of training. Frankly though, if they make me run more comfortably and protect my aching joints, then I’m all for a bit of this legal “doping”. THE PROOF 100m Previous time (PT) – 24sec With Vaporfly (WV) – 20sec 400m PT – 1min 47sec WV – 1min 44sec Five miles PT – 48min WV – 44min Fastest mile PT – 9min WV – 8min 19sec

The Vaporflys boast 40mm of 'ultra lite energetic foam' to 'deliver an increase in energy return'Credit: Oliver Dixon -

Lorraine says she 'felt like my legs had more energy, and they were definitely bouncing off the pavements more'Credit: Oliver Dixon -

WHEN I completed my first marathon in 2006, all I had was a Casio digital watch and a fistful of jelly beans to see me through. Now Fitbits, isotonic energy gels and compression tights are all the rage. The latest elite product is Nike’s ground-breaking £240 Vaporfly trainer.

We test the new £240 high-tech Nike supershoe, as worn by record-breaking runner Eliud Kipchoge, that make you run fasterCredit: Reuters

's Veronica Lorraine managed to get hold of a pair of Vaporflys to help her run her fourth London Marathon in AprilCredit: Oliver Dixon - It is so high-tech that Nike claims it can make you run up to four per cent faster. Others have likened the effect to doping. It was in a prototype Alphafly pair that Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run the marathon’s 26 miles and 385 yards in under two hours last October. And the five fastest ever marathons have been achieved wearing some form of the shoe. Now, after months of speculation, the World Athletics Council has announced they will not be banned from this year’s Tokyo Olympics. I have zero interest in breaking records, but I managed to get hold of a pair of Vaporflys to help me when I run my fourth London Marathon in April. When they arrived in the post, the package was so light I thought there couldn’t possibly be a pair of trainers in there. My £45-in-the-sale Asics are pretty light at 251g.

'LIKENED TO DOPING'

The new Vaporflys are 176g, according to my kitchen scales. My Asics have 30mm of foam in the sole. The Vaporflys boast 40mm of “ultra lite energetic foam” to “deliver an increase in energy return”. They also feature an embedded carbon plate to help propel the runner forwards. When I put them on, I felt like I wasn’t in shoes but just walking on marshmallows. So I bounced down to my local athletics track to try them out. Usain Bolt’s 100m record is 9.58sec. My new trainers helped me cross the line in 20sec — four seconds faster than with my old ones. With the 400m, I lumbered around the track in 1min 44sec — three seconds faster than my previous best. But the real proof would be in the longer runs. My marathon training plan currently has me running one mile slow, then five in under nine minutes a mile — basically as fast as I possibly can.

'HELPING INCREASE MY SPEED'

The first mile went as normal. All my aches and pains flared up, grumbled for a bit then rescinded. I was no faster than in my normal trainers. But when I started to push myself, the Vaporflys came into their own. It still took a great deal of effort, but as the miles went on, it felt easier. I’m not saying I was leaping like a gazelle, but my tired mum-bod seemed to be responding better. I felt like my legs had more energy, and they were definitely bouncing off the pavements more, helping me to increase my speed. My best mile in that run was 8min 19sec, much faster than my recent efforts. I’m sure some of this is psychological — I was working a bit harder just knowing I had the best kit.

UK'S HARDEST OAPMoment pensioner, 77, heroically fights off would-be mugger at cashpoint

'PATHETIC'Cop spends 7 hours at death of a baby - and finds angry '£100 fine' note on car

FINE MESSMum makes messy kids sign cleaning contract & fines them £5 for every broken rule

'KILLER' DADDad 'who shook baby to death' claims he accidentally dropped her down stairs

LAST MOMENTSGirl, 18, seen with rapist before he murdered her and fled with blood on hands

ROYAL SNUBAndrew's 60th bday shunned by pals as Fergie 'scrambles' to make up the numbers And I’m not convinced that over 26 miles the trainers are going to help a knackered, injured, amateur runner like me achieve a spectacular finish. No magic trainer is going to enable you to do that without a ton of training. Frankly though, if they make me run more comfortably and protect my aching joints, then I’m all for a bit of this legal “doping”. THE PROOF 100m Previous time (PT) – 24sec With Vaporfly (WV) – 20sec 400m PT – 1min 47sec WV – 1min 44sec Five miles PT – 48min WV – 44min Fastest mile PT – 9min WV – 8min 19sec

The Vaporflys boast 40mm of 'ultra lite energetic foam' to 'deliver an increase in energy return'Credit: Oliver Dixon -

Lorraine says she 'felt like my legs had more energy, and they were definitely bouncing off the pavements more'Credit: Oliver Dixon -