In the incomparable setting of the beautiful coastal town of Cascais the American brand Brooks has presented at international level the most important novelties of its 2018-2019 collection. The Brooks Levitate 2, Brooks Bedlam and Brooks Ricochet are part of the Energize category and have been presented in a way that only Brooks knows how to do. True to its sloganRun Happy", the company's managers at its European headquarters in Amsterdam put together an irreverent and original event under the name"Superhuman Academy", inviting all those present to explore their limits in three areas: mind, stability and strength.
The main lines of the second version of its flagship shoe, the Brooks Levitate 2, are based on an evolution of the DNA AMP technology that gave such good results in the original Brooks Levitate, which we were able to analyze with very good results a few months ago. DNA AMP is a technology that the American brand developed together with the petrochemical company BASF. Adidas has already teamed up with this company to develop its well-known Boost system.
Broadly speaking, this DNA AMP engineering compound consists of a polyurethane foam with a TPU coating. But best of all is the feeling that this system is really able to return more energy in proportion to the force we apply as runners in each step. I have been able to test in first person and for many kilometers the first Levitate and I can attest that the best quality of this model is undoubtedly in this technology.
In addition, other outstanding features of the DNA AMP system are that this patented polyurethane shape is not altered in situations of temperature change between cold or heat and in a very important adaptation to the way of running, weight and footprint of each runner.
This is not the only base on which these Levitate shoes are based, since the first edition also added the knit upper that is becoming fashionable in almost all the top of the range running shoes of the main companies in the running world. In its second edition thisFit Knit" upper is even more successful and manages to surpass the feeling of grip and fit of the first edition. In addition, and this is an important novelty compared to last year, the Brooks Levitate 2 has changed in the collar area or the heel wrap. Last year's had a super comfortable cushioned feel that came in handy at slow paces, while this year it has been replaced by a thinner and much thinner wrap that has surely contributed to lighten a few grams. Nevertheless, the total declared weight is the same as last year.
While the jewel in Brooks ' crown is and looks set to remain the Levitate, the other two models presented: Brooks Bedlam and Brooks Ricochet are not far behind in terms of performance. In fact at the event Brooks' global product manager, American Carson Caprara emphasized that Brooks ambition is to have the best shoe in all the runner segments they have identified. And both the Bedlam and the Ricochet are good examples of that.
The Brooks Bedlam was reviewed in depth by our expert Iker Muñoz. It is a model that has all the goodness of the Levitate but aimed at the segment of pronators or runners in need of stability. It incorporates the well-proven Brooks GuideRails system in the midsole. This system helps in the correct alignment of your feet during the race by reducing the rotation of the heel and tibia and thus achieving less displacement of the knee. Brooks also promises that this will contribute to improve your "peace of mind". I've already told you that they're a bunch of jerks ;-)
And the Ricochet is not the worst because it is the last one to be detailed. On the contrary, it is possible that with time and effort it could become a top seller at Brooks. The Ricochet is a shoe with many similarities with the Levitate but with a weight of almost 30 grams less, a different outsole tread pattern and where they change the DNA AMP for the DNA LOFT system. This composition means a softer system, with a more pleasant feel but with the same reactivity and response as the DNA AMP of the Levitate. And the other big difference is the price. While the Levitate 2 have a recommended price of 170€, the Bedlam are at 180€ and these Ricochet are starting at a more affordable 130€. Not surprisingly, the Brooks Ricochet are this year's candidates for "best shoe of the year" and "best newcomer shoe" in the VI Runnea awards for the best Running shoes of the year 2018.
As I was telling you before, all these models were presented in Cascais by the hand of the "Superhuman Academy". In an impressive display of means I was able to test first hand my capabilities in the mental plane, in my stability and strength. The first test, and in my opinion the best, was with the peculiar Dutch athlete Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman. Not for nothing does this man have a lot of extraordinary achievements, among them 26 Guinness records. Some of his crazy stunts are these:
Wim Hof has patented a method to get the body under control through a combination of breathing exercises and exposure to cold. And I tried it first hand. After a series of breathing exercises I managed (together with our whole team) to stay more than 2 minutes completely submerged in ice. Now it's time to do it with some frequency.
The other two experiences presented by Brooks helped with stability and strength control. Thanks to the help of Norwegian tightrope walker Eskil Ronningsbakken we were able to maintain stability on the balancing rope while wearing our safety equipment to avoid accidents. The last of the activities prior to the 10K race (won by the Spanish team) was a series of exercises on a vertical wall, which is the ideal workout for strengthening the middle muscle area.
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