Finally, a long course race again at the Långholmen SwimRun. Last year’s occasion saw a several start-groups outing on the Sprint course. But after a year’s interruption, the long course was back with a little reformed course across Stockholm’s Inner City. With the newly build Slussen bridge and the strong currents at the Gamla Stan Swim section, the course was slightly longer then the years before. e. But after a years break, the long course was back with a little altered course across the inner city. This year I had the pleasure to race with Kristoffer Sjöberg. A friend who has quite an impressive CV when it comes to ultra and trail running. He made sure we didn’t slow down too much on the runs. SwimRun undoubtedly has its benefits. Leaving and entering the waters around Stockholm on a sunny day is quite challenging in many ways. The race organizers made a great job shaping such a competition. Typically, SwimRun races follow trail outside the city, this race is diverse. The broad variety of running and swimming segments make this race a real treat. I love the low-key approach and Stockholm is the perfect playground for this sport. Free pizza and ice-cream for everyone at the finish line is quite something. It even tastes better when you cross the line in first place. Although I wasn’t on top of my running game, we managed to sneak the win just well under 3 hours. A super fun day out with Kristoffer on such an wonderful day in a buzzing town. Until next year.
Undoubtedly Puma is no stranger to the running game. One of their prime athltes was Ethiopian Abebe Bikila who won the marathon of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo wearing a pair of Puma running shoes. Defending his title from Rome 1960, which he won without wearing any shoes. Having had a massive impact on the worldwide T&F scene with the likes of Linford Christie and legendary Wilson Kipketer, the company further increased their fanbase with the early signing of superstar Usain Bolt. When Puma signed Bolt in 2003, he was only 16 years old, but this deal certainly paid off. Although being a recognized brand within the sprint scene, the company seemed to have forgotten its roots that, besides football, lies within running. In the beginning of 2021 a lot of professional runners switched sponsors and Puma appeared behind the name of a lot of recognized distance runners. With the Nitro range the company seem to hit the scene with new and promising products. The Deviate range symbols Pumas homecoming to the serious performance side of running. The very first prototypes made a lot of noise within the scene and Puma marked their return to the market with their interpretation of a carbon-fiber plate road running shoe. In 1924 Rudolf and his brother Adolf “Adi” Dassler formed the so called “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory”. When they split in 1948, Adi went on to develop his own brand named Adidas and Rudolf established a new company called Ruda. Ultimately he changed the companies name into Puma and introduced the well-known symbol and the characteristic “Formstrip” in 1958. Until today both companies are situated in the small Franconian town Herzogenaurach in Bavaria, Germany.Puma offers two high-end models. The Deviate Nitro that’s studied here and the Deviate Elite as the absolute top range model. The crucial alteration between these two shoes is the foam material. Back in the days, way before the carbon excitement, companies used EVA material as the attention was more on cushion then on rebound. Then the carbon-bouncy propaganda took over and nothing has been the same since. The so-called Pebax material is the new reference class for springy shoes. Every company does use somewhat comparable. So does Puma for the Elite Version. The Nitro instead has a TPE sole. The presentation of this sole paired with the carbon plate is incredible. The structure and the placement of the foam generates a tremendously comfortable and lively piece of equipment. The Deviate Nitro is well-cushioned and the toe-off is speedy and energetic as you stride forward. A very nice feature of the Deviate line is that there are specific models for women offered. These versions have slimmer heel sections, lower instep, and a carved arch for a specific fit. A feature that should be a standard by now. A feature that made the shoe very comfortable for me, was this little feature in the back of the heel section. These pads are meant to lock the foot in the shoe and avoid slipping. Typically I tie my shoes very loose and this really made a difference to me, especially when running a bit faster. The natural environment for this shoe is the road. And that’s what the so-called PumaGrip does best. A solid and sturdy rubber provides great traction on non-technical environment. I used this shoes also on lighter and dry trails and had no problems. Despite the tendency of other running brands to use other expert rubber companies for the outsole material, Puma decided to create their own. The result is a good mix of rubbers that create a great and solid feeling for the ground and a material that appears to last well. I have about 400 kilometers on my pairs and it is astonishing how less wear this shoe has. While I was training with the Deviate Nitro the last few weeks, some of my training buddies got curious and one of the most asked questions was if this shoe is a racing or training shoe. Until now, I do not really have an appropriate response to this question. The shoe is light, the shoe is speedy, direct on the ground it feels yet very comfortable. Would I race with it? I probably would. Until now I ran the Deviate Nitro during several trainings, from commute runs, long runs to track work and fartleks. I keep loving the shoe for it reliability during all these occasions. Pumas return to proper running shoes suprised me and it will be interesting to see where the brand goes from here.
Hoka One One is not all about chunky, oversized shoes. A heck of a 1mm thick full length carbon plate and a, for Hoka Standards thin sole, make this one a proper racing shoes.Front view – the slick neon colourway (officially called: Citrus / Cyan) gives it away, this lightweight performer is loud and quick. The Evo Carbon Rocket weighs in with a mere of 218 grams. If you put the amount of cushion in account, this is a pretty rad competition weight just right there. I quickly became a fan of the smooth and thin upper. Pretty good breathability and a snug fit. All of this with a pretty roomy toe box. Nothing to complain really. A closer look at the upper and the tongue. Both parts of the shoe are pretty slim and feel very good. Minimal and durable as it should be with a shoe that needs to go fast. Another detail shot – The clean back end with a height of 26mm that goes down to 25 mm at the forefoot. Inside the ride – Please note the very comfortable and efficient 1.00mm hell to toe drop. I enjoyed this a lot going through the paces. It certainly helps to be a mid-foot or fore-foot striker. What you see, the front of the shoe. What you can not see, a striking carbon fiber sole sandwich. Pretty Yummy… A early prototype of this shoe was spotted while Cam Levins broke the Canadian marathon record in Toronto at the end of last year. Afterwards message boards went crazy and soon after his race Hoka One One released the Evo Carbon Rocket to the masses. It is pretty obvious that the sole has the design of a rocking-chair. This creates a very springy toe-off while running. Hoka continues to push the competitive running segment. Their models continue to surprise me in a positive way. Bottomline – the outsole below the ProFly cushion material consists of yellow durable rubberized foam.The obvious question is: Is the Evo Carbon Rocket comparable to the latest Nike 4% hype? In my opinion it not really is. The Evo Carbon Rocket is much stiffer and firmer which creates a completely different feeling. It sure has a great bounce but that does not match the sensation of the foam that is used within the latest 4% fleet. It will be interesting to see how the latest Hoka One One Carbon X compares.
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