鈥淟eft turns only鈥攔ight turns need not apply.鈥
The 颅sentiment is so often seen on pro-runner bios that it鈥檚 become clich茅. Yet it鈥檚 true: distance athletes hammering 400-meter loops spend half their time hanging a Louie. It took an outside-the-box newcomer to integrate this basic truth into the design of a track shoe. The result is 听($130).
With swooping, asymmetrical sprint plates extending to the outside of the right heel and the inside of the left, runners have something to brace against while riding the bend. Even the pair鈥檚 eight spikes are specially positioned for pushing or rail-颅hugging power. Credit Hoka鈥檚 athletes for spending the past two years providing feedback while training for a trip to Rio. If at first glance the Speed seems like a departure from the company鈥檚 hallmark marshmallow trainers, it has this in common: a nontraditional solution to an overlooked problem.聽