C8 Tuesday, September 17, 2013
FITNESS & WELL-BEING
GREAT
A French outdoor gear maker’s laboratory offers a glimpse of the hi-tech power behind its running shoes, writes Jeanette Wang
LEAPS From top to bottom: Sense Softground; ski boot with hiking sole; the different layers of soles; a mould of runner Kilian Jornet’s foot; the X-Tour city trail shoe. Photos: Jeanette Wang
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t’s not exactly rocket science, but making a running shoe comes close. Just ask Gregory Vollet from Salomon, the French company that is a world leader in the booming sport of trail running. “We make more patents than [US space agency] Nasa every year and it costs us ¤1.5 million [HK$15.5 million] each year to protect all our patents,” says Vollet, manager of Salomon’s international running team, during my recent visit to the company’s headquarters and birthplace in Annecy, southern France. Examples of these patents include Endofit, an internal sleeve designed to hug the foot in the right places, and Quicklace, a strong lace for tightening with one pull. With runners worldwide spending billions of dollars on running footwear each year, it’s no surprise that manufacturers are racing to come up with new technologies and designs. After six years of research and development, for example, Adidas recently launched the Springblade, a shoe that would look at home in Star Trek. In place of flat soles and foam cushioning, there are 16 blades on each pair, said to “harness and release more energy to help propel you forward with every stride”. Meanwhile, Nike this month launched the Free Hyperfeel, a svelte shoe that “mimics the intricate workings of the human foot”. Using pressuremapping technology and high-speed film to analyse the foot in motion, Nike researchers studied the optimal areas of the foot for cushioning and traction. In the competitive world of athletic footwear, it’s innovate or suffer. Salomon, founded in 1947 as a maker of winter ski bindings, knows it well. The winter of 1991 had no snow, Vollet explains, leaving the company with a massive stock of
cross-country ski boots and no demand. One employee suggested removing the crosscountry outsole and replacing it with a hiking sole to suit the weather conditions. It turned out to be a stroke of genius. “Compared to the hiking shoes at that time, it was very light, very stable, warm and waterproof,” says Vollet. “It was a real success.” More importantly, it kickstarted Salomon’s entry into the outdoor footwear market. In 2006, it made mountain sports and trail running its focus. Two years ago, for the first time, sales of its summer products overtook winter items, driven by the growth in trail running. “Trail running is becoming our biggest business now,” Vollet says, estimating a trail running market share of about 30 per cent. The sport is exploding worldwide. Next year, Salomon
We send shoes to testers in every continent as durability is different GREGORY VOLLET, MARKETING MANAGER
plans to organise its first race series on the mainland. Shoes, the only necessary equipment for the sport, are big business. Creating a good pair involves rigorous R&D. On average, Salomon’s top-of-the-line S-Lab range of shoes takes almost two years from the drawing board to the shelves, with more than 50 prototypes and hundreds of days of testing. Proven technology from the S-Lab range will then trickle down to the lower-priced lines. Creating a shoe starts with an idea, Vollet explains. The designer makes a drawing and shows it to a working group, who decide whether to continue. If the decision is to go ahead, different prototypes are made and given to athletes to test. The athletes provide feedback, and the results are used to create new prototypes that incorporate their suggestions. The shoes are retested, and the cycle continues until the product is perfected. “It takes about 10 months from idea to validation of prototype, and another 10 months to produce them in big quantities in China,” says Vollet. He gives me a tour of the sprawling Design Centre in Annecy, which houses more than 600 Salomon staff. It’s so secret, I’m not allowed to snap any photographs of the office
or factory – or even get close to the design department. But we stop at the testing department, which road-tests shoes from all brands – each pair for 40 days. “We send shoes to testers in every continent because durability is not the same on different terrains,” says Vollet. Next, we head down to a floor full of heavy machinery. In one room, shoes are being pounded, baked, drenched, washed and tumbled, and exposed to extreme UV light. Vollet calls this the “torture chamber” that tests the durability of shoe materials and colours. In another, much bigger, room – like an elves’ workshop – people are sewing, tracing, cutting, fitting, gluing and moulding. Here, they create not only prototypes for testing, but also custom-fitted equipment for their international running team. A seamstress is carefully crafting a pair of seamless winter running gloves which will be used by Salomon’s elite athletes in an upcoming race. Vollet says, eventually, these gloves will be made available to the mass market. The S-Lab Sense, Salomon’s flagship racing shoe, was born in the same way. After failing to win the 2010 Western States Endurance Run in the US, Kilian Jornet, one of the world’s best trail runners, decided he needed to change his equipment – starting with his shoes – to better suit the 100-mile (161-kilometre) race’s challenging terrain. Jornet had suffered badly from cramps, dehydration
drop and suddenly change to 4mm or even zero, because it will strain the calf and the Achilles tendon.” In May 2011, the shoes were 90 per cent complete and Jornet wore them to win the 100-kilometre North Face 100 Australia in record time of nine hours, 19 minutes. Number of years it takes for A few a shoe to go from drawing tweaks later, board to shop shelves Jornet laced up again and won the 2011 Western States. In May last year, the shoe hit the stores and the demand, including in Hong Kong, was overwhelming. With trail running taking up only 7 per cent of the global running market, Vollet says Salomon’s goal is now to capture more of the road running market by “bringing mountain values to the city”. These values, he says, include freedom, discovery, accessibility, humility and respect for nature. So, Salomon has created a line of city trail shoes, designed with less aggressive soles that are suited to both concrete and easy trails. It has also transformed some high-performance models, such as the Sense trend of zero-drop shoes – a level and Speedcross, into heel-toe height that is said to fashionable streetwear by promote a more natural and using materials such as efficient running style – the leather and suede. Sense had a 4mm drop. A phone app is also “We did a lot of scheduled to be launched biomechanical studies and next month, showing determined that the best drop off-the-beaten-track city for natural forefoot runners is running routes. 4mm,” says Vollet. “In cities, people usually “Zero-drop shoes are in run on very boring streets,” fashion, and I think it’s a big says Vollet. mistake because these shoes are “The idea of the app is not for everybody. It could be to take runners somewhere dangerous for someone used to more fun.” running in shoes with a 12mm jeanette.wang@scmp.com
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and blisters over the final 30 kilometres of the event. “Kilian knew precisely what he wanted,” says Vollet. “A shoe that was lightweight, breathable, hydrophobic and suited to forefoot running.” The design team went to work. The upper, which was minimalistic yet offered good protection, was designed quickly. Creating the sole was challenging: almost 40 types of prototypes were made, says designer Patrick Leick. Going against the market
FITNESS
Runner leaves milestone in the dust ................................................ Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com As a tennis fan, Andre Blumberg had always looked forward to watching Grand Slam events on television. But four years ago another slam caught both his attention and his imagination. This slam, the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, involved completing four of the toughest and most iconic 100-mile (161-kilometre) trail races in the US over 10 weeks, including a total cumulative elevation gain of nearly 80,000 feet (24,380 metres). At the time only 200 people had completed the slam since it was established in 1986, and only one of those was based in Asia. “The slam had this aura about it. It was the pinnacle of ultrarunning and I thought it would be great to do it some day,” says Blumberg, 43, an IT director and Hong Kong permanent resident. Two Sundays ago, that day arrived. Blumberg completed the series’ final race, the Wasatch Front in Utah, in 34 hours 57 minutes to join the exclusive club of grand slammers, which has a membership of just 254. Blumberg took a total of 117 hours 19 minutes 29 seconds for the series, which kicked off on June 29 with the Western States 100 in California, followed by the Vermont 100, the Leadville 100 in Colorado and finally the Wasatch Front.
His time may be way off the fastest overall finisher – Ian Sharman, 33, from Oregon, completed the feat in an incredible 69:49.38 – but Blumberg’s time is still amazing. Only 22 of the 31 people who attempted this year’s slam finished. Historically, the completion rate has hovered around 50 to 60 per cent. What’s even more amazing is that when the idea of the slam first entered his mind Blumberg’s body was a 105kilogram mass of mostly fat. “It was pretty much exactly four years ago, before I turned 40, when I realised that I was a fat bastard and would have medical problems if I didn’t change my lifestyle,” he says. He went cold turkey on alcohol for 18 months and cut out big late-night meals. In January 2010 he started riding the stationary bike in the gym, for just 10 minutes at first, building up slowly to two hours. Within six months he had lost 32 kilograms. Then he hit the treadmill. When he got tired of the gym he started running outside and discovered Hong Kong’s wonderful country trails. He was hooked. In April 2010 he ran his first ultra event, the annual 64kilometre Round the Island race. His next big project is to celebrate his 45th birthday in December 2014 by running 45 marathons over 22 days for charity, a total of 1,899
Andre Blumberg is joined by his wife Patchanida Pongsubkarun as he approaches the finish line of the Western States 100.
He is tough and more mentally strong … than almost anyone I know BLUMBERG’S COACH KARL MELTZER
kilometres, from the south to the north of Thailand. “The challenge I face is that after doing something big like the Grand Slam I feel elated and happy. But then I sort of fall into this hole and wonder how I can get motivated again,” says Blumberg. “It’s not all about running
longer and longer, though,” he continues. “I like challenging events where the mental aspect becomes more important than the physical.” Indeed, completing the Grand Slam takes much more than just physical fitness. Many of those who failed to complete the slam were much faster and more talented than Blumberg. Traci Falbo, 41, one of the five successful female grand slammers this year, says the toughest aspect of the Grand Slam is the mental strength you need. “There is such a short time between the races that it’s hard to get revved back up to do another one,” says the physical therapist from Indiana. Determination is Blumberg’s greatest strength, according to his coach Karl Meltzer. “Andre
doesn’t bow out to issues like some ultrarunners do,” says Meltzer, a top American ultrarunner in his own right. “He is tough and more mentally strong and smarter than almost anyone I know. He sticks to a plan and that’s why he is successful.” A good support crew and impeccable planning skills are also essential, particularly for someone not residing in the US. Competitors need to juggle travel demands, arrange support crew, come up with a race strategy, and organise their gear. Many of the runners work in industries such as engineering, accounting, research and computer science, and it may be the traits associated with these industries, such as being analytical and disciplined, that may aid their Grand Slam successes. Luck plays a huge part too – getting a starting slot in the Western States is usually what trips people up. The race, the world’s oldest 100-mile race, uses a lottery system to select its 400 participants. This year’s race had 2,295 applicants. Blumberg was third time lucky. It took fellow grand slammer Will Jorgensen, 54, a contractor from Tennessee, six years to get his spot. He says it was worth the wait. “My motto is if you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space,” says Jorgensen. “Many people avoid anything uncomfortable and
spend their whole life trying to keep things as easy as possible. Completing an ultra will undoubtedly make someone a better person, one who can set goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them.” Hong Kong trail runner Phillip Forsyth says Blumberg’s achievement has inspired him to get back on the trails after taking a few months off due to work. “I’ve seen Andre fly back and forth for the past 10 weeks, run 400 miles and still be totally focused on his work,” says Forsyth. “Sometimes work is too easy an out for not getting on the trails; Andre’s achievement has made me realise that everything is possible and nothing is impossible.” Blumberg’s wife Patchanida Pongsubkarun says she was annoyed at first with her husband’s obsession over training and raw food, and felt sidelined by his newfound lifestyle. But seeing how he’s changed since they first got together more than eight years ago, she is now fully supportive, often doing the challenging job of crewing for him at races. “He is definitely a happier person now,” she says. “He has great stories about running and his transformation to share with others; that makes him more confident.”