Super shoes drive the most headlines, but they’re not the biggest driver of sales
in the running market.
Footwear News will host a panel at The Running Event on Dec. 4, covering the footwear landscape “Beyond the Super Shoe.” Altra Running global brand president Jen McLaren, Vibram president and global brand chief officer Fabrizio Gamberini and Saucony vice president Ted Fitzpatrick will take part in the discussion, with FN senior digital news writer Ian Servantes serving as moderator.
The storytelling around super shoes comes naturally, as most of the biggest breakthroughs in running technology have come from the category since its introduction in 2016. And while the shoes’ combination of hypercritical foams and carbon fiber is primarily intended for race days, technology tends to trickle down to sneakers for everyday, recovery and tempo runs — creating a ripple effect across the marketplace.
Not every runner is participating in races, though, and even those who do are pouring most of their energy into different types of runs. The panelists will discuss the importance of shoes tailored to these slower runs or those with more truncated bursts of speed — and how they’ll continue to evolve and improve.
These executives bring a wealth of expertise in the business.
McLaren has held the top post at Altra since 2023 and boasts more than 20 years of experience under the VF Corp. umbrella with time at Timberland and Smartwool.
Vibram’s president since 2018, with global chief brand officer added to his title a year later, Gamberini entered footwear in 2001 at Nike after a 10-year stint at HP.
Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, has been in his vice president role at Saucony since 2021. He said the brand has been focused on the democratization of the super shoe, a phenomenon that can be seen with the Endorphin Pro and Endorphin Speed series.
“At Saucony, we work hard to deliver the technology and innovation to improve the run experience for runners of all abilities,” said Fitzpatrick.
Typically, at Saucony and abroad, the formula is to introduce advanced foams in super shoes before incorporating them in their more affordable, durable and versatile counterparts. The common element in the Endorphin Pro 4 and Endorphin Speed 5 is PwrRun PB foam, which is paired with a carbon plate and a PwrRun HG footbed for the former shoe, at a $50 premium.
The “Beyond the Super Shoe” panel will be held at 2 p.m. in the Training Camp Theater.
