In recent years, high-tech running shoes have focused on one goal in particular: to create the fastest possible road racing experience. Serious runners haven’t been able to hit the sidewalk for a competition without discovering the latest and greatest in carbon sheet creations, as almost every well-known running brand has been involved in creating the fastest shoe on the market.
However, as almost any runner can tell you, you can’t go through every training session like your last race and increase the pace to run as fast as possible. An intelligent (and above all, healthy) runner mixes workouts at different speeds, with short, fast speed sessions, long, leisurely #sexypace runs, and everything in between. Super-fast shoes don’t go with every workout – but what about those runners who want a very special experience for this type of workout?
Running specialist Brooks has a solution for this type of balanced training: the Aurora-BL, a shoe that was developed in the brand’s project-oriented BlueLine Lab. The shoe is an ultra-padded space age style runner designed to run the miles as smoothly as riding a luxury star cruiser. Speed is not the goal here. Instead, comfort and efficiency are the rule.
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I’ve done a variety of runs with the Aurora-BL and found that the experience was a bit like what I imagined running in space. The gravity of the earth didn’t seem to be pulling me onto the sidewalk as much as it usually does, especially as I stretched my runs for longer distances.
Brooks
The Aurora-BL is supposed to be different
The Aurora-BL offers a different experience than most other running shoes from the moment you put it on your foot. Instead of a separate tongue like traditional sneakers or a slim one-piece upper like so many modern running shoes, the Aurora-BL has an inner, stretchable sleeve made of quilted material that holds the foot in place. This segment provides a strong splash of color (orange for the men’s color) in the otherwise transparent upper material, which consists of a soft, translucent “mono-mesh” material that looks like laminated plastic at first glance, but feels supportive and comfortable as soon as it is Your foot is in the shoe. Just make sure you have a nice looking pair of socks because you will be able to see them. A molded, silver heel counter adds to the astronaut aesthetic (and visibility in low light).
Brooks
But the real highlight is the midsole. The Aurora-BL uses a unique two-piece design that decouples the heel and forefoot area to allow greater freedom of movement. This is not obvious the first time I put the shoe on, but when I started running I felt it was easier to get through every kick than in other shoes. This is also supported by the “glide roll” shape from the heel to the forefoot, which has been specially developed for an easy transition through the step. Instead of jumping forward into the next step, which is often the case with carbon plate shoes designed to get you forward, I felt more like I was rolling through my runs.
Brooks
The midsole foam is also noteworthy. Brooks used a new version of their softest foam, DNA LOFT v3, which injected nitrogen into the material to make it lighter, softer and more responsive. I could try to explain further, but I’m not a chemistry expert – basically, Jain is saying the nitrogen cell bladders can be packed more tightly into the EVA foam to bring about this change. Brooks has introduced another nitrogen-injected foam, DNA Flash, in their speed shoes, the Hyperion Elite Racer and the superb Hyperion Tempo Trainer, but Jain tells me the difference is in the size of the nitrogen cells: the firmer, faster Flash – Foam has small nitrogen bladder cells, while the softer, cushioned LOFT v3 foam has nitrogen bladder cells that are large enough that you can see some of them with the naked eye. When you put the Aurora-BL on, you can feel the pillow giving just a little and giving a lot of energy back.
All the foam stuff isn’t just for the show. In a world of short-lived, seemingly jet-powered super shoes that only last 100 to 250 miles before they fizzle out and fall apart, the Aurora-BL’s long range stands out. “From a shelf life perspective, these nitrogen-enriched foams maintain their integrity over time,” said Nikhil Jain, senior manager of the Brooks BlueLine Lab. “We find in some cases that runners don’t notice a difference between my mile one and mile 250 or mile 350.” Jain says he would estimate the Aurora-BL’s lifespan to be 350 to 500 miles.
The Aurora-BL is inspired by space and not long for this world
Aside from performance, the shoes look like nothing else on the market. This design was partially inspired by the Apollo 11 moon mission, according to Jain – but the aesthetic should definitely be more science fiction than retro. The aim was to break the norm. “We wanted it to be strange. We wanted it to be unexpected,” he says.
The products that come out of the BlueLine Lab, like the Hyperion Elite Racer with carbon plate, are said to be limited edition innovations that serve as testing grounds for the future of Brooks’ General Release shoes. Only 25,000 pairs of the Aurora-BL are produced, making it a limited edition item (Jain says Brooks typically produces 2 million pairs or more for standard models). But you will likely see aspects of the space shoe – specifically the DNA LOFT v3 foam – in future Brooks models.
Brooks
The Aurora-BL is heavily padded and has a wide toe box (one of my favorite design features and the reason I think the “Space Cruiser” label is so accurate) so it will likely appeal to a wide range of runners, but Jain quickly realized that it is not intended for people looking for support shoes. The midsole foam is durable, but also not intended for the trail.
In particular, this could be the perfect fit for serious runners looking for a souped-up cross-country or recreational shoe. “This is a concept vehicle for us,” says Jain. Think of it in terms of moving up to the premium car model. “When someone says, oh, you know, I love my Honda Accord,” he continues. “But I want something that zips a little more, a little more luxurious.”
This luxury will cost you. The Aurora-BL isn’t cheap at $ 200, which is even more expensive than some specialty racers. And with only 25,000 units available worldwide, the shoes could also be hard to come by. But when you’re ready to pony up and go through the hassle of getting yourself a pair, you have the chance to take a strange, highly-cushioned ride that is unlike anything else on the road.
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source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/brooks-aurora-bl-200-running-shoes-review-and-wear-test/
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