Last week, Adidas opened its newest and largest storefront on the outskirts of Times Square. Multiple stories of shoes are waiting for you. If you don’t like what they have, however, you can create a custom pair to take home.
But what really sets this location apart lies beneath. Down in the basement level is a training area where visitors can get a free gait analysis from professional trainers. This is where the innovative Run Genie comes in. To put it simply, this system was designed to analyze your running stride.
More casual runners may not realize, but picking a running shoe is more than just finding a brand or design that you like. Everyone’s feet perform different while we run. For example, some runners use the outside of their foot, others use the inside. There are many more variables that make up how we run and that is why so many different designs exist within a single brand.
When you enter a good place to buy running shoes, they should have someone who has been trained to analyze your gait. After they study how your foot moves, they will suggest the right shoe for a comfortable run. However, a trainer alone won’t be as accurate. There are too many variables to analyze.
According to Tech Crunch, Run Genie combines this system with a pair of sensors that clip to the laces of each shoe. In roughly 40 steps, the sensor gathers every detail it needs. The built-in accelerometers will determine whether you are pronating or supinating and where the foot is striking when it lands. For privacy reasons, this data isn’t stored anywhere on site. Instead, the results are emailed directly to the user. The appropriate footwear is recommended based on these results.
The Run Genie is innovative, to say the least. Beginning and intermediate runners now have an accessible way to learn about their feet and improve the way they run. The best part is, even if you don’t like Adidas, you can always take that data elsewhere.