Under Armour: the best things come in threes
UA Equips the UA HOVR ColdGear® Reactor Road Shoe with Michelin® Outsoles for Winter Runners
Some say “three’s a crowd,” but the designers at Under Armour couldn't disagree more. Imagine a world without the Three Musketeers, the Beastie Boys or a good BLT sandwich.
New to the roster is the UA HOVR ColdGear® Reactor running shoe, featuring three innovations that you can’t find anywhere else: UA HOVR cushioning, UA ColdGear Reactor technology, and for the first time ever on a road running shoe, soles by Michelin®.
"We took some of the best product technologies that Under Armour has to offer, including innovations that have been tried and true in our cold weather apparel lines, and created footwear that allows runners to perform at their best in any circumstance."
- Cori Burns, Under Armour Run Footwear Category Manager
On the mission to make athletes better, 365 days of the year, Under Armour designed the ultimate footwear solution to extend the outdoor running season with the UA HOVR ColdGear Reactor— a shoe that keeps the most dedicated runners’ feet warm and dry when tackling the harshest elements.
The footwear features three unique innovations in one shoe: Under Armour’s newest HOVR Cushioning platform, the Brand’s renowned ColdGear Reactor technology, and Michelin’s high-traction outsole.
“This shoe was developed specifically for runners who won’t stay inside when the weather isn’t typically conducive for running,” said Cori Burns, Under Armour Run Footwear Category Manager. “We took some of the best product technologies that Under Armour has to offer, including innovations that have been tried and true in our cold weather apparel lines, and created footwear that allows runners to perform at their best in any circumstance - in this case, rainy, cold, adverse winter conditions.”
And the cherry on top? The footwear is available in a connected version as well. A small chip, embedded into the midsole of the HOVR cushioning, pairs with the MapMyRun app enabling seamless access to an advanced running experience. The shoes are digitally connected so runners can track their distance, cadence, pace, stride length, shoe lifespan and virtual coaching – all while building their running community.
UPPER TECHNOLOGY
The upper features ColdGear Reactor technology, which works by adapting to a runner’s activity level for the right breathability & warmth depending on the level of exertion. The material, which originated in Under Armour’s apparel line, is made of a fleece that uses soft, brushed "nodes" for the right warmth, while the ColdGear mesh side panels provide strategic ventilation.
MIDSOLE TECHNOLOGY
Below the insulated upper, the shoe uses UA’s HOVR foam cushioning in the midsole. HOVR is engineered to provide the ideal combination of cushioning and energy return, all without compromise. The cushioning is contained in the UA ‘Energy Web’ – engineered to give runner’s responsiveness and energy return to propel off of the cold winter pavement.
OUTSOLE TECHNOLOGY
Under Armour partnered with Michelin —the experts on ‘ground contact’ between a moving object and the ground in all its forms on surfaces including tarmac, rock, ice and mud— to create the hallmark feature of the shoe, the outsole.
“We pulled together a tight team of our most skilled and knowledgeable product developers to produce the high-performance outsoles that Under Armour envisioned for the HOVR ColdGear Reactor,” said Filippo Sartor, Partnership Development Manager at JVI for Michelin Soles.
The outsole features a tread design that draws inspiration from the Michelin S1 motorbike tire, which has a special tread pattern designed for mud with tall, sharp, widely spaced knobs to increase ground contact patch and penetrate deep mud easily. The layout of the insole offers stability and side control, while the tread pattern on the heel facilitates deceleration and braking.
The UA HOVR ColdGear Reactor shoes come connected and non-connected for both Mid ($140 USD connected / $130 USD non-connected) and Low ($120 USD connected / $110 USD non-connected) versions, and will be available on UA.com on October 1, 2018.
The UA HOVR COLDGEAR® REACTOR features:
Michelin high-traction outsole that will improve grip on wet or icy surfaces
ColdGear Reactor thermoregulatory upper —a lightweight and durable rip-stop outer layer with UA’s proprietary insulated lining material for protection and warmth through the elements
UA Storm water resistance: repels water without sacrificing breathability
HOVR Foam - Pure infused soft foam wrapped in dynamic textile to contain & maximize energy return. Firmer exterior foam creates a more stable system for optimal responsiveness.
External TPU Counter: to guide efficient foot-strike
In the Mid version the shoes have a high-top stretch knit-collar designed to prevent cold and moisture from seeping through the collar opening
$140 (Mid version) $120 (Low version)
