MailOnline's cynical resident runner puts adidas Energy Boost trainers to the test... and admits he's shocked by the results

MailOnline's cynical resident runner puts adidas Energy Boost trainers to the test... and admits he's shocked by the results

 
I received a pair of the new adidas Boost trainers from a friend at the Daily Mail. As I have always worn adidas in everything from squash to football and running, I was full of joy.

She proceeded to inform me that they had a new bouncy and revolutionary material in the midsole which, if formed into the shape of a ball and dropped on flat surface, would bounce 400 ft up in the air like a rocket. Or something like that.

The material is branded 'Boost' - nothing too fancy, which I actually liked, being brought up during an era where we had two TV channels in the house. 'Boost' is supposedly able to store the kinetic energy generated from each foot fall and then release that force to push the foot back up, she continued. 

Balony, I thought. While she is keen on ads and buying the latest everything, from toothbrush to handbags (emphasis on plural form here) yours sincerely believes in no commercials - and believes people who believe in commercials are gullible. I only buy old-fashioned and traditional stuff; I like to think I am too cool for novelties.

And it is only the modern that becomes old fashioned in a bad sense (that's Oscar Wilde, for those who only read Cosmo or whatever it is called).

Hi-tech and high hopes: The Boost shoe was three years in development and uses new 'energy capsule' technology to give the midsole of the shoe unprecedented bounce - and our tester agreed that there

Anyhow, the design of the trainers, black with the three stripes in grey, actually was a nice touch to previous years' models.

And for those out there who actually wear runners in the office or when they go out and about, the subtle club-camouflage colour provides an additional area of usage… you can actually wear these in the city without becoming the laughing stock of your buddies. 

Now, as little as I would like to admit defeat, it actually seems that my friend's somewhat twisted concept of the active ingredient in said shoes in fact had some bearing on reality. 

At the first step across my living room floor, it actually felt a bit, well, bouncy!

Following three runs over varied terrain the past two weeks, totalling some 20km, I must say that I am in awe of these shoes. It would seem as if, apparently, some commercials actually describe the product with an ou nce of truth. Or several in this case.

The shoes feel filled with energy, fit my foot with decent arcs exceptionally well and, in spite of my running being slightly on the supination side, the shoe has thus far felt very comfortable on asphalt, cobblestone and terrain.

The stride is light and there is a definite kick compared to other models as the foot rolls off the ground. 

Apparently, another advantage of this new material is that it isn’t greatly affected by extreme temperatures â€" which means in the current chilly weather, your trainers retain their bounce rather than turning rock-hard. I am not sure of this, but temperature was below 5c during my second run, and the feeling was still great.

On Adidas webpage, one can read that 'Boost™ Technology absorbs shock and saves energy so you can go the distance with less effort'. 

For once, I am temp ted to agree with the ad writers… this shoe is super-duper. Go fetch.

By Andrew, a 'ex special-ops guy and hardcore athlete turned fat-a** financial dork' who found these shoes to serve a purpose: getting faster from A to B.