A start-up company is set to go into production to create running shoes that are tipped to be a game-changer for runners.
New US brand Vimazi believes their high-tech "tuned" shoes, which match a runner's pace, will become a market leader.
The company has now raised the $600,000 in seed funding required to launch the new running footwear later this year.
Vimazi calls its custom midsoles FastPods. It's claimed the new technology responds to the different speeds of each runner to provide better cushioning and “maximum energy efficiency".
FastPods are designed to work in sync with a runner’s pace with the heel and forefoot pads "tuned" separately and taking into account for differences in impact and propulsion forces.
Scott Tucker, co-founder and CEO of Vimazi, as well as being a competitive runner himself, is reported as saying: “We discovered that because the forces under your foot change in this very precise way according to how fast you run, that we could use that to engineer a shoe that’s going to perform better.”
There will be six models of Vimazi shoes based on a range of running speeds from five to 30 minutes per mile. They will sell for $160.
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Before the shoes are available to purchase in this fall, Scott reports that the company will publish scientific papers that reveal the engineering and physics to verify how the shoes work.
Vimazi invented "pace-tuned technology" is patent pending.
The concept of running shoes that provide “energy return” has been around for few years. Examples include Nike’s ZoomX Vaporfly. Although, these shoes sparked controversy after elite marathoners broke world records using the shoes, which feature foam that reportedly acts “almost like leg muscles” to prevent fatigue.
John Zilly, the other founder of Vimazi, said Vimazi's technology is a “logical jump forward” for runner looking to make pace gains.
He is reported as saying: “There’s no reason all running shoes shouldn’t be tuned by pace in the future."
