Rob Dolan talks LunarGlide+ 3.
Watch this video as Nike Running Footwear Design Director Rob Dolan walks (not runs, maybe jogs) through the product highlights of the brand spanking new Nike LunarGlide+ 3.
The shoe has Dynamic Support, Lunarlon foam, and a new midfoot strap custom fit. If you’re not a fan of hearing the sound of another human’s voice, or if you’re just at work with no speakers, Nike has provided a convenient transcript of Rob Dolan’s Nike LunarGlide+ 3 talk below.
Nike LunarGlide+ 3 Designer Interview Transcript
Rob Dolan, Nike Running Footwear Design Director:
[00:00:02] The LunarGlide+ 3 has been a really successful, popular stability shoe for us because it’s light, breathable and offers a really smooth transition and ride.
[00:00:16] One of the key features that makes the LunarGlide such a great stability shoe is a concept we call Dynamic Support. Much like you’d use a wedge to kind of stabilize a wobbly table, we have two wedges. One is a wedge of soft foam, and one is a wedge of firm foam. Many runners pronate, which means when they run, the inside of their foot after they strike kind of rolls in. On the lateral side where you crash and land, the thickest portion is the softer foam. And as you transition when you run and roll over to the medial side, or the inside, you have the largest portion of the firmer foam. Think about a ball rolling down a decline and then rolling back up an incline to slow it down. This wedge works like that.
[00:01:01] The design of the carrier has these long horizontal lines. If you think about a bellows, how these lines would compress up and down, that’s exactly how they work. When the runner lands, those compress and offer great cushioning. The beauty about Lunarlon is it’s really lightweight, has amazing cushioning, but it rebounds, it comes back.
[00:01:22] In the heel we removed the carrier foam and exposed the Lunarlon. Think of it kind of like a trampoline. You have this structure on the outside and the soft stuff in the middle. And when you land on it, the perimeter supports you and allows that really soft foam to kind of push through.
[00:01:39] We’ve incorporated the longitudinal flex groove and then we’ve brought in more of these cuts or sipes through the forefoot that really allow the shoe to kind of flex and allows the shoe to move with your body.
[00:01:50] Fit was a huge priority in the LunarGlide+ 3. The midfoot strap was one of the most significant changes or features we brought in. If you think about when you sit in a swing, it really kind of wraps underneath you and pulls under and up. This works in the same way. So when you pull on this you’re actually pulling under your foot, supporting it, instead of from the side only.
[00:02:15] We designed the sock liner to work with the strap and we did it by putting these grooves into the bottom of it so that it could actually conform and kind of bend around your arch.
[00:02:24] This is the heel clip that offers support and stability but still allows your foot to move in a really natural way. I use the analogy of a sports car bucket seat. It’s molded to really hold you in, but on the inside it’s just super soft, comfy and just kind of sucks you in and gives you a great ride.
