More about shoes: Saucony Triumph 7 and ASICS Nimbus 11

My Triumph 6 served me very well over the past year. I trained in them in Adelaide and used them for the WDW marathon. The ASICS Nimbus 9 (silver) was a throwback given my disappointment with the Nimbus 10. Unfortunately, I found the later version of the 9 (unlike the earlier blue version) to be more akin to the 10s in terms of undersole durability. Nonetheless, they served me well for the Aviva 70.3.

So my recent acquisitions were the Nimbus 11 (from Running Lab) and Triumph 7 (N Zone).

The Nimbus 11s logged in less than 100km so far. The verdict todate is pretty optimistic. They are well cushioned, and more importantly, the durability has improved significantly over the 10s. That made the 11s more like the ASICS I know.

The Triumph 7 in luminous orange (pix above) are brand new, and only ate earth and asphalt this morning, all of only 8 km. I had to take a half size larger (11 instead of 10.5). Cushioning is good, and the one piece undersole provides better toe to heel transition. The flexibility, I feel, is not as good as the Triumph 6 (in luminous green - see a trend here?).

Why so many shoes? Good question. To be answered in a subsequent post.

Shoe review: Saucony Pro Grid Triumph 6 and Type A2

By now, readers may know that I spend way too much money on shoe - running, cycling, trail, etc. No, I am not Imelda Marcos, but my purchases are purely driven by necessity. (Yes. Some people would take issue with that statement!)

I supinate and my right shoe always wear out too fast. In part this is because of the less than durable outer soles I find on some shoes recently (Nimbus 10!!). But also in part, I don't wish to wear out what little cartilage I have left. So I buy cushioning and replace my shoes religiously when they reach ORD date, which is 600 to 800 km.

My latest purchases direct from Saucony First 2 Market - I have to thank MBF for this actually ... she needed to replace her hurricanes - were the Pro Grid Triumph 6 and Type A2. I have been a fan of Saucony for some time. I have two pairs of Triumph 4s, one pair of 5 and now the 6. After the gold and orange 4s, and bright red Type A, I am ready for any color. So the luminous green Triumph 5 and lime green Type A2 were, not shocking whatsoever. In fact, bright is in.


How did they run?
I needed a light racer for the upcoming sprint and OD triathlons, and I liked the Type A I bought two years ago. The latest model Type A2 did not disappoint. After being used to heavy well cushioned shoes, I almost felt like I was running barefooted with the A2s. What have improved over the older Type A are (a) drainage holes along the soles, (b) better layering on the soles - cleverly laid out where the impact is most likely, and (c) breathable uppers. The only grouse I had was that the A2s are not cheap relative to the Triumph 6 (less material and technology!). But still cheaper than other comparable performance shoes such as Newton and Zoot.

The Triumph 6s felt lighter than the 5s. The one piece sole design is retained but drainage holes have now made their way into (through?) the soles. The ride is as plush as before, so I am quite pleased in that department. My grouse? Well the shoes made a flopping noise that was not present with the 4s and 5s. I figured the noise came from air trapped under the channel running through the middle of the sole. While the noise is not loud, it is somewhat annoying.

The true test will come soon enough, when I take them through the races.

What I can say for now is that my latest shoes have caught the eyes of the garbage truck driver. I gave him my two pairs of Triumph 4s and he wore them proudly the very next day. When I ran past the garbage disposal truck the other morning with my luminous green Triumph 6s, I swore I could see the glint in his eyes as he smiled broadly and waved to me.

Hey, you gotta wait 600 km, ok?

For Saucony Type A2 shoe update, click here.

Saucony Triumph 6 update coming soon.