Kit & Gear

FIRST LOOK: adidas Supernova Prima

The pinnacle shoe of the adidas Supernova franchise, Supernova Prima is a daily trainer designed for the dedicated runner. Built with comfort and cushioning in mind to ensure you're ready to tackle every run with confidence.

ㅤ

The Tech

ㅤ

ㅤ

Our SportsShoes ambassador Ben Mounsey, interviewed adidas Global Running Category Director, JT Newcomb, to find out all we need to know about the new adidas Supernova Prima.

ㅤ

BEN: Hi JT, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about this exciting new product. Can you give us a brief overview of the shoe?

ㅤ

JT: My pleasure Ben! Welcome to Supernova Prima. We're really appreciative of you joining us and giving us the opportunity to talk about it.

This new shoe is obviously the newest member of the Supernova family, which we relaunched earlier this year. The Prima is designed to be the 'tuned up' version of the Supernova experience.

We did something a little bit different launching a new franchise, starting with a shoe that sits in the price band where most runners are shopping, rather than introducing a new innovation at a premium price point. We started here so that this season, we could come back and ask ourselves, what's the 'tune up' experience if we know what our baseline is? Where do we go from here?

The Prima ended up being a little bit of a long letter to the most committed and passionate of everyday runners, because we sat down with running speciality store staff members and talked to them about what they would want in an everyday shoe if they could 'tune it up'. And that led us to Supernova Prima.

ㅤ

Let's talk tech. What is the stack height and drop of this shoe?

At the heel it's 37.5mm and the forefoot 29.5mm. So, it's an eight millimetre height differential. What we did was take the Rise, then added two millimetres of cushioning front to back and then added even more to the forefoot. Then we rockered up that last a little bit to get a lower drop at eight millimetres, but with extra forefoot cushion. And again, that's going back to the insights from those really dedicated everyday runners we talked to when we asked them what they would like. This ended up being the shoe that within the Supernova family is slightly more orientated towards midfoot - forefoot runners. Obviously, the majority of runners are heel striking most of the time and a shoe has to be built for that, but with that extra forefoot cushioning we wanted to address a specific need and enhance the toe off experience.

ㅤ

ㅤ

What type of running and distance is this shoe designed for?

It's intended for daily runs, recovery runs, long runs. It's aimed at the more experienced athlete, someone who is pushing their running a little bit further and has probably been running for a few years. It's designed to fit into a more established fitness routine or lifestyle. We're thinking abut a versatile shoe that you could wear on a 25k+ long run, or one you can just as easily use for 10k - 12k morning shakeout. And for anyone who has just started running, there's the Supernova Rise - a comfortable and easy shoe to start running in.

ㅤ

Is this a replacement for the Ultraboost or indeed another shoe that is already sits within the adidas family?

It's not a replacement for Ultraboost as that's a different experience. Boost is something else entirely, designed to provide a different cushioning experience for runners.

Supernova has come to replace what Solar was, so you won't see Solar Boost from from us going forward. This leaves in that space of premium supportive daily trainer.

ㅤ

ㅤ

And in terms of pricing and colourways, what options are available?

We've certainly got a selection. So, our lead colourway for the launch is the Scarlet Solar Red for both women and men, but we will launch four colorways per gender to start, with more to follow in the second half of the season.

In terms of pricing, it's £149.99 for the Supernova Prima, which as the premium model in the range is slightly more expensive than the Supernova Rise at £129.99.

The difference in the pricing is justified when you look at the amount of technology like adding more foam and cushioning underfoot. You can start to see all of the extra detail such as the more engineered upper and the multi-piece gusseted tongue construction and the multi piece stitched heel pads that the Rise just didn't have.

In the past, when we would launch a new footwear franchise or family, we would bring all of our innovation at a pinnacle price point. And then try to figure out how to take that down to places that more people can access at more affordable price points. For Supernova, it was incredibly important to us to first build a flagship shoe in the core price point range where most runners are shopping. So, we approached it really differently and then asked ourselves, "if we dial everything up, what would we want to add to that experience?" .

ㅤ

We also sell another shoe within the franchise called the Supernova Solution. Where does this fit into the range?

Supernova Solution is the stability counterpoint to Rise. Rise and Solution are aimed at the exact same consumer, to provide the exact same experience. But, the intention is that we add extra stability for the runner looking for more pronation control, so that you have a choice one or the other. Do you need more support or neutral support? And then Prima comes in above both of them in terms of the level of cushioning.

One of the trickiest parts for us designing and testing the Solution was to build something that would sit right inbetween. So, you get this triangle, top cushioning, medium support versus pure neutral, high support. Essentially, we start to get a real toolkit of choices so that runners who are looking for their supportive daily trainer can then find the right level of cushioning and support for your individual gait cycle or biomechanics.

ㅤ

ㅤ

Because of the increase in technology, can I assume the Supernova Prima is the heaviest shoe in the range?

Yeah, the Prima is 292g, which is 15g heavier than the Rise and that's primarily because of the additional cushioning underfoot. The energy rods that run through the midsole are also made from a denser material. Part of how we're delivering the support experience is that this is a higher density support rod than what's featured in Rise and also where it flares out and the medial and lateral sides of the forefoot, to give you that stable platform, especially for the late stage of the gait cycle.

ㅤ

Does the Supernova series use a Continental outsole to adidas TERREX trail models?

This outsole material is called ADIWEAR Lite Traction, a technology that is casted rather than moulded. We use very, very thin amounts of it which allows us to reduce that stack and still provide extra protection. You can add traction to a shoe both by the compound that you're using for the outsole, plus the amount of coverage and the pattern of any sculpting or slicing. It's a different outsole material completely to Continental, because it's been specifically designed for the road and asphalt.

ㅤ

ㅤ

Interested in the latest shoes, apparel and technology? Then head over to our Kit & Gear category for more reviews, tips, advice and product releases.