Running Commentary

Disclaimer: I purchased this shoe at full retail, and the opinions here are my own. I’ve previously reviewed the Brooks Launch 3 last year. (see here ) This year, the Launch 4 has seen a couple of changes to the upper and the outsole configuration, but the most striking thing I noticed is the huge drop in weight (nearly 30g on my scale for a US9.5). I received by Launch 4 a couple of weeks ago and having been using it on and off in the lead up to the Dubai Marathon, which I ran on 20 Jan 2017 (2:45:53) and also in the weeks since. Without further ado, let’s delve into the details of this shoe. Specs: Weight: 268g / 9.45oz (US 9.5)   (claimed weight: 9.2oz for US9.0) Stack: Heel 28mm, Forefoot 18mm (source: Runningwarehouse) Insole thickness: ~2mm MSRP US$100 UPPER I generally find Brooks uppers to be very durable and reliable. There are some subtle differences in the uppers of the Launch 3 and Launch 4, but this is not noticeab...

It seems that some brands are moving in on the running-casual hybrid market. ON Running have done very well for themselves in their "The Cloud" model, which doubles up as an uptempo running shoe and casual sneaker. Earlier this year, Hoka One One releaed their Hupana, which although functioning as a truly legitimate uptempo trainer, sports a knitted upper to play double duty as a casual shoe. In the pipeline for this year, Brooks will be releasing a knit upper variant of what looks very similar to the Brooks Launch, which is also targeted at the running-casual hybrid market. Well just yesterday in Los Angeles, ASICS released not one but two new hybrid running shoes. You can read their official statement here: ASICS INSPIRES A NEW GENERATION OF ACTIVE YOUTH THROUGH IMMERSIVE RUNNING EXPERIENCE Signature event brought together communities, new products, and a once-in-a-lifetime urban adventure Singapore – 7 February 2017   ASICS hosted a first-of-its-kind ...