Since the appearance of the first natural shoes (they were once called “barefoot”) those who used them accepted an unspoken agreement: to run at zero drop and with very little rubber underfoot, one had to accept a certain essentiality of comfort, to put it mildly.
7/8 years ago if you wanted to run natural you really had to want it and also accept a certain degree of lack of softness and cushioning.
As noted other times, things have changed in recent years, and “traditional” shoes have borrowed typical solutions from the natural ones (like the reduced drop ), which, in turn, have bought from the traditional sector some comfort. More and more comfort.
Double comfort
From the first time I wore the Topo Athletic Magnifly 3s, I sensed how much work had been done on comfort. The cushioning is no more pronounced than many other models: on closer inspection “underneath” there is 25 mm, a thickness common to many other models. Yet the very definite feeling is one of heightened comfort, due to the two-density midsole: a softer one at the top (to make the fit so pleasant as to be addictive) and a harder, more responsive one at the bottom, where there is a need to attack the road for a more responsive and faster response.
Often shoes that are too soft are pleasing but betray during running. Let me explain: an excess of “stationary” softness risks turning during training use into a dispersion of propulsive force, as if running on a mat. Finding the balance between a comfortable but unresponsive shoe and a dry and fast but too “hard” shoe is not easy. The Topo Athletic Magnifiy 3s come very close to this magical state of “soft responsiveness” or “soft reaction.” While they are always very pleasant and comfortable, they are also quite responsive: when the foot sinks in landing on the ground it finds a soft surface and then, soon after, a harder layer. The transition is clearly noticeable (the dual density of the midsole is not a marketing formula that does not then have feedback, it is instead very noticeable) and can give the impression of an “unloaded” shoe, as if all the energy expended in the run is dispersed to the ground without being returned by the midsole. However, this is only a perception because the Magnifiy 3 are there, always. You can tell especially after running in it for a while, when your legs are more tired. Or they should be more tired and instead you find them still fresh and ready to grind out more miles. Because they are evidently working in concert with a shoe that supports them and puts their strengths to work effectively.
All in agreement
I insist on comfort because it is often confused with just the midsole. Instead, the pleasantness and confidence that the shoes give (or do not give) are due to a set of details that make them overall pleasant. Such as, for example, the contoured foam collar or the Ortholite antimicrobial and antibacterial footbed, which resists compression and odors. The upper has also been greatly simplified compared to previous versions, gaining in the absence of surfaces and seams that might friction with the foot, irritating it.
The natural pleasant
I began this review by remembering the early days of natural running, and especially the “extreme” shoes with which it was practiced. It’s nice to see that those days are long gone and that you can now run in zero (or contained) drop shoes with toe boxes that leave plenty of room for your toes and midsole thicknesses that allow you to feel the road without having cannonball-resistant feet or Ethiopian runner’s biomechanics for that matter.
Everyone can now try running more “naturally” in comfort.
Topo Athletic Magnifiy 3s are on sale in selected stores or in the Topo Athletic online store for 155 euros.