FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST
aimed for great style, a perfect fit and high performance. After testing them for a few months of wet and dry running, hiking and aerobics, I reckon they are right on the money. Reasons to be cheerful with my Xspress Fitness Runners: they feel
One for the girls W
hen Aetrex designed the Xspress Fitness Runner collection they kicked all the men out of the room, leaving a group of female fashion designers and fitness trainers to create the ultimate active footwear for women to wear in and out of the gym. The designers
fantastic, they look fantastic, and they make exercising as pleasurable as it's ever going to get. I first tried them out for running. After a sluggish winter, I was getting into
training for this summer's Run for Life, the women's race to raise money for Cancer Research, so it seemed really appropriate to be wearing a fitness shoe especially designed for women. Wearing them didn't help with the pain of getting myself out onto the track, or stop the inconvenient wobbling of bits that shouldn't really wobble, but at least I was doing it with the girls, in shoes made by the girls, especially for the girls. It was just a shame Aetrex didn't send me the coral pink trimmed ones, really. But, the blue and silver Runners were very stylish too, and in
any case I was mainly concerned with comfort and support, especially as I was a bit rusty after a season of watching costume dramas and promising to get my backside out of the door next week… Thankfully, the shoes did exactly what they said on the pack. From the first
time I waddled out in them to the last time I ran a bit more jauntily along the track, they were true training buddies. Thanks to the breathable Airlex™ mesh uppers, there was plenty of airflow in the shoe and I never overheated or sweated.
While running, the shoes provided just the right amount of support, just where I needed it, encasing my feet in a soft but strong envelope of hi-tech footwear. There was no jarring, no chafing, and no bruised toes. Running test done. Full marks (for the shoes, anyway). Next I tried them out on a coastal walk. According to the manufacturers,
Aetrex, the Runners have slip resistant rubber outsoles for increased traction, so I was keen to see how well they gripped on different surfaces. The walk included scrambling over slippery rocks, walking on sand, climbing steep gravelly paths and jumping between barnacle-covered boulders.
Dawn Smith tests a pair of Aetrex Xspress Fitness Runners the on-trend running and walking shoe that's designed by women, for women - at a price they can afford!
The Fitness Runners gripped everything I landed on, giving a feeling of total confidence. I felt good, I had the chance to look at the scenery instead of constantly looking down at my feet, and I got to the important part of the walk (the Baileys coffee in the pub) without falling into a rock pool. Finally, as the summer kept getting wetter and training outdoors got more dismal, I tried them on a workout session. The shoes never slipped or let me down, no matter how many tricky manoeuvres or unexpected changes of direction the fitness instructor introduced. Confident in my footwear, I could concentrate on her madly complicated footwork and cheery patter. "You've got it," she chirped happily. No I hadn't, but I'm all for positive thinking. At the end of the workout, I was quite pleased with myself for keeping up. I was blowing hard, but I'd survived my first fitness class for years. "Right," she said. "That's the warm-up finished. Let's start with the aerobics." Oh dear. As I staggered out of the class and limply opened my car door, I consoled
myself with the thought that I was wearing just about the best-looking pair of trainers a girl could have. The clean and sleek silhouette created by the designers, without all the clumpy layers often seen on running shoes, meant that I had something especially feminine and pretty on the end of my pins. I may not have been very fit. Not in good shape at all, actually. But my footwear was fit. Really fit!
Details: Xspress Fitness Runners The Xspress collection features breathable Airlex™ mesh uppers to promote maximum airflow and an innovative Skylight TPU heel counter and footbridge for unwavering stability and support. Other features include slip resistant rubber outsoles for increased traction and Mozaic Cutomization Technology to relieve specific pressure points while walking or running.
Available in 4 fashionable colour combinations with luxurious details including metallic leathers and python embossed trim. Sizes 5 – 11 in medium and wide widths.
Price: Trade: £27.63 - RRP: £65.00
www.aetrex.com
16 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• AUGUST 2011
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