Whether you have half marathons and marathons later in the year or if you just want to push yourself to achieve something challenging, then the Lichfield 10km sits perfectly in this place.
Speak to anyone who has run this race before, and they will tell you it’s definitely not the flattest of routes around; that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a fast course, just not flat. With this in mind, wearing the right pair of shoes, which will help you conserve your energy on the uphills and give you some extra spring on the down, will be the key to success in this race.
So below are our three favourite models, starting with the most stable to the most aggressive pairs to help you set your next PB and get the best out of an early autumn race.
Saucony Azura
As this year continues, it seems every brand has taken a leaf out of Adidas’ playbook and has been releasing daily trainers with top-end foams, and crucially, at a relatively low price point.
Saucony describes this new model as a ‘high performance daily trainer,’ and with nothing but the brand's PWRRUN PB underfoot, this is exactly what it is. With the lack of any addition of a plate (like the Speed, Pro and Elite ranges) this helps maintain that this model provides speed and return without sacrificing stability and without breaking the bank.
Given how Saucony has described this shoe, it can be used at an easy, relaxing pace, but the Speedroll rocker coupled with the PEBA midsole is designed with speed specifically in mind.
Now, although the Azura will not respond as aggressively as the other plated shoes in the brands line-up what you do get is added stability. With any carbon plates, what you gain in propulsion will also mean any rotational issues will also be increased. Over any short distances or on race day, this doesn’t mean that these shoes are bad by any means, but if you do have stability concerns but still want the added benefit of PEBA foam, then this shoe perfectly ticks this box.
Brooks Hyperion Max 4
Spoiler alert: if you’re planning to go sub 30 minutes and sit next to the elites among us, you may be risking a disqualification by the World Athletics, but if these times haven’t even crossed your mind for a 10km then you can go ahead and enjoy that 40mm of illegal stack height as much as you want.
With the Hyperion Max 4, Brooks pile up a layer of PEBA DNA Gold and their nitrogen-infused DNA Flash v2 together with a nylon Speedvault plate in between. With the addition of their aggressive rocker geometry thrown in, you won’t have any chance of scuffing the front of them on the uphill sections of the race.
Now, compared to the Hyperion Elite 5 (the carbon brother of the Max), this shoe weighs more and weighs in at the heaviest out of all the models in this list at 286g, but this added weight is used in the correct places.
The broader base and thicker padding around the heel and toe box helps to create a fit which works well even for those with wider feet, which many plated shoes don’t.
This additional plate helps to make this shoe a shoe which can be used both at those slower paces in training (or running uphill!) but also faster tempo paces and race day efforts alike; you get the help on the way up and spring on the way down.
So for those who are looking to add a bit more flair into their race, but are also looking for a cushioned tempo shoe to use in other training for races coming up, then this pair will have you covered.
Hoka Skyward X2
When it comes to big cushioned shoes, many brands on the market lead with a ‘Super’, ‘Max’, or ‘Plus’; Hoka, on the other hand, uses the title Skyward. It’s bold, it’s big, and it means business.
This shoe answers the question of what would happen if you insert a carbon plate between a 44mm mix of a PEBA-based top layer foam and supercritical EVA underneath, and the answer is very interesting.
Oftentimes, a max cushioned shoe with a plate spells a recipe for disaster, but this differs in a few key areas. Firstly, the carbon plate isn't full length, nor slotted. Hoka uses a convex plate, which gives you the spring you expect out of a carbon without making the shoe too rigid underfoot; it almost behaves as a nylon plate would- still aggressive but not too inflexible. Also, looking at this shoe, the stack can be quite deceiving; your fit actually sits slightly within the sole, thus surrounding your feel for a little extra stability. Granted, it won't be as stable as your traditional support shoe, as it is using that soft PEBA foam, rather than compressed EVA, for example, but for race day this will cover you fine.
The upper, being a lightweight jacquard mesh, remains pretty thick yet still remains breathable, perfectly suited to those who find your typical race day shoe too flimsy and without enough structure; even accommodating for this additional weight, the Skyward X2 comes in 20g lighter than the first iteration.
So, if you want the most luxurious, max cushioned plated shoes you can get your hands on, then this is the model for you. A shoe that wraps responsiveness, comfort and speed all in one is often hard to find, but Hoka has created a shoe which does all that with ease.
If you are still unsure which pair will work best for you, you can always pop into store, or book a gait analysis here to be able to find out exactly which pair will work best for you.
