You’d be hard-pressed to find another boutique running brand over the past decade that’s more respected than Tracksmith. Founded in 2014, the New England-based firm has been focused on making running garments to honor the amateur spirit of the non-professional competitive runners of the world.
However, prior to 2022, with the debut of the Eliot Runner, Tracksmith had yet to enter the footwear sphere. Built for the everyday trainer, the Eliot sported a simple, yet unique style that fit in well with the retro prep identity of the brand. Now, following up with a new super shoe version of the Eliot, Tracksmith has finally made a shoe for long-distance running.
What Exactly Is a Super Shoe?
For the uninitiated, the term “super shoe” refers to a compilation of several key high-performance tech, including thick insoles for superior cushioning and energy return, a curved lightweight carbon fiber plate to improve running economy, and often a rocker design for ultra-smooth transitions from heel to toe.
The super shoe category was inaugurated by Nike in 2017 with the debut of the Vaporfly 4%, boasting a 4% improvement in running economy. Since then, the impact of the running world has been transformative, with every major world record in endurance racing getting broken by a wearer of super shoes since 2020. Across all racing events, super shoes have also had an impact. Where the average number of world record-breaking performances from 2010 to 2016 was about 2 per year, the past five years alone have skyrocketed to 7 per year — with 11 in 2021 alone!
The Same But Different
With an aesthetic that looks virtually identical to its Eliot Runner, the Eliot Racer doesn’t feel the need to look like a super shoe despite the inherent technological improvements. That said, you might balk at the idea of the Eliot as a super shoe upon first glance. But that just may be by design. Remember, Tracksmith is one of the most stylish running brands around for a reason; they might just want to have their cake and eat it too.
Delivering the highest energy return of any shoe “tested in the lab,” the Eliot Racer keeps cushioning at a minimum so you can wear this super shoe without broadcasting it to the runners around you. There’s some controversy with super shoes, in that the focus becomes too heavy on the tech than the athletes themselves. Tracksmith aims to eliminate that from the conversation.
It’s All In the Midsole
Retaining the carbon fiber plate of a standard super shoe, the Eliot still has a cushiony midsole but keeps it hidden inside the shoe rather than outside of it. Minimizing glue in order to keep the compression seamless, the drop-in midsole is free floating on the interior of the sneaker with a mapped distribution for better propulsion: 22mm of thickness in the forefoot and 12mm in the heel.
Not trying to break the mold entirely, the Eliot’s stack height at the heel is 38mm with a 7.5-mm drop to the toe. Weighing just about 7.7oz (U.S. men’s size 9), the lightweight shoe also boasts an engineered woven mesh upper with a microsuede lining, all atop a rubber outsole. Lastly, the standard laces here have a silicone skin so they’re not coming undone mid-race.
Spec Sheet
Uppers: Engineered woven mesh
Midsole: ATPU foam with a Pebax chassis
Outsole: Rubber
Stack Height: 38mm
Heel Drop: 7.5mm
Pricing & Availability
Available in both ivory-gold and black-gold, the Eliot Racer is currently up for grabs for $280 — a significant but expected jump from the Eliot Runner’s $198 price tag. Head over to Tracksmith’s website to learn more.
Recap
Tracksmith Eliot Racer Shoe
Following up its Eliot Runner shoe, Tracksmith debuts the Eliot Racer, a super shoe with carbon fiber plating and a drop-in midsole, designed to not look like your typical super shoe.
