As the Podiatrist here at Southern Suburbs Physiotherapy Centre, and together with the highly credentialed running Physio team, welcome to the 1st edition of our regular shoe review series.
Too often we see injuries and comfort issues arise from poor footwear selection, or rusted on positions to a brand. There are a lot of brands out there, each with models that will probably work for you. In these reviews, I hope to bring you a model review, a comparison to other brands, the key stats, and the key benefits.
Our biomechanical assessment room at East Bentleigh allows us to really study how the shoe interacts with your walking or running posture. From a thorough history, hands on joint and clinical evaluation, we will then assess the suitability of your shoes for whatever your training, general exercise and sports requirements with a CLINICAL gait assessment.
Pearl Izumi M2
The Japanese brand Pearl Izumi have made a big mark this past year, and the new models continue the tradition of smooth running (and walking). The Road M2 comes as part of Pearl Izumi’s Project E:Motion with their goal being to create a fluid, simple smooth running experience without the often seen over-engineering of ‘stuff’ in many running shoes.
WEIGHT | 278 GRAMS (Men) 252 GRAMS (Women)
OFFSET | Dynamic : 4mm heel, 7.5mm midfoot
COMPETITORS |
Asics 2000 320 GRAMS (Men) 265 GRAMS (Women) 10mm drop
Saucony Guide 283/244, 8mm offset
Mizuno Inspire 270/230, 12mm offset
The first thing you will note is what PI call their ‘dynamic offset’ which basically means the bottom of the shoe is a rocker shape, encouraging a very smooth transition, with no foot slap. Patients with anterior shin pain, and those with complaints across the ball of the foot will really enjoy this shoe. The midsole has a dual density component to it, but really it is the shoes geometry that promotes a great ride through the midstance phase of gait, suiting those of you who have found success in the past from shoes such as the Asics 2000, Asics Kayano, Saucony Guide, Mizuno Inspire, Brooks Ravenna to name a few. Our motion analysis reviews of this shoe here at SSPC is showing it performing strongly against the aforementioned.
A primary training and exercise shoe with less bulk and weight than most of it’s competitors, the M2 is a fantastic option for those of you who are looking for a smooth, simple running and walking experience.
Rick Osler
