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Metropolis Reflections

“Running to avoid to be drown in a different time, where time is both endless and already passed. Stopping is difficult. Impossible.”

Every time I exit from Porta Garibaldi’s subway, I am enchanted by the skyscrapers in Piazza Gae Aulenti. I have the feeling to have fallen into a city of the future. I feel as if I’ve crossed a portal and found myself in London or Berlin or New York. It seems like my mental skyline has been blurred. As if someone suddenly woke me up after a long journey. It’s a beautiful sight. It took a long time, but even Milano managed to give life to its first globalised neighborhood. Although running in the centre full of historical stratifications, churches, monuments, streets with a romantic look, has another taste, another rhythm, I feel home also in these non-places. It seems like my mind has more space to think about the future.

White wet slabs, blue skyscrapers lost between the afternoon’s reflections, suspended bridges that seem to link different worlds, stairs that rise and fall without interruption and draw a continuous frantic flow of the time like the most complicated paradigm of Escher. Running here seems to have a new taste, there’s no space for sweat and effort, but only technology mixed with style, to move in that tireless chaos that you can find in every single street of Milano. There is no space to breath, you are pushed by an endless sprint to avoid to be overwhelmed.

Running to avoid to be drown in a different time, where time is both endless and already passed. Stopping is difficult. Impossible. Your shelters are the most hidden corners along the course, where there is no space for cars, scooters and trams. Where the old Milano’s Isola seems to have its deeper and non erternal roots. Where the shadows lengthen to an afternoon that goes already towards sunset. The sounds become music and give other rhythm to the legs. Urban-runner is born here. This is where a new world to explore begins.

Running Oufit

Gabriele Ammoni.

Under Armour Charged Bandit 3 Digi.

Designed to offer the most versatility, the Under Urmor UA Charged Bandit 3 Digi is a shoe designed to run for kilometres, without sacrificing looks and created to give new sensations. The upper wraps the foot providing a breathable and flexible support and with the Charged Cushioning insole (a double layer of compression molded foam) ensures you a perfect cushioning and an increased responsiveness and durability. The innovative UA SpeedForm structure is perfectly modelled on the foot with a precise fit, avoiding any possible distraction, balanced by the external buttress that gives more support and stability in the back. The weight is only 260 gr and is guaranteed by the special rubber sole compound that protects the high impact areas and, thanks to the anatomical grooves, offers adequate flexibility in the essential points. A different shoe for those who still don’t know their limits.

Fabrizio Rausa.

Asics GEL-Nimbus 20.

Asics celebrates the twenty years of GEL-Nimbus with the lightest model ever of its most iconic shoe, expression of the perfect balance between protection, comfort and performance. The upper reminds the light and tapered style of the previous version, but introduces the new Gradient Jacquard Mesh, a fabric created with a softer and more adaptable structure to the shape of the foot. The fitting consistency is guaranteed by thin 3D printed overlays that wrap and support the foot during the run. The combination of the FlyteFoam midsole with GEL technology, on the other hand, gives to the shoe a more softness and a great feeling of lightness, with a much higher and more stable cushion. The men version is about 350 gr while the women one weighs 250 gr, built with the Plus 3 and Gender Specific Cushoning, geometries and technologies expressly designed to adapt to the specifics of the women. It’s no surprise that the drop declared for the male version is 10 mm, while for women it’s 13 mm. GEL-Nimbus 20 returns: the perfect shoe for everyday training for the neutral runner that tries every kind of experience.

Gianni Pistis.

New Balance Fresh Foam Lazr Sport.

A new concept of a running shoe? An evolution of the training shoe? A new sneaker model? The New Balance Fresh Foam Lazr Sport is all three things at the same time. The new bet of the Boston brand reintroduces a totally radical concept in the running universe, presenting an hybrid mix of training shoes for running or going to the gym. But also to dress casual. The main innovation is the creation of the first laser-engraved Fresh Foam midsole, which allows the shoe to acquire more comfort and flexibility (6 mm drop) thanks to the network of precise and deep grooves along the entire length of the midsole, combined with a solid but light rubber sole, which contributes a better traction and a grip on all types of terrain. The New Balance Fresh Foam Lazr Sport is also characterised by an elastic and soft wraparound slip-on, which guarantees freedom of movement to the instep making each stride lighter and smoother. It’s surprising that the new sports mesh upper does not feature the classic N, the unmistakable symbol of New Balance, but Fresh Foam Lazr Sport is a different shoe, designed for the neutral runner who moves his first step into the running world or for those who love going the gym and just a run outdoor sometimes. With the addition of that touch of distinct elegance.

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