Ryan Hall Talks About His Running Shoes

By: LetsRun.com
December 31, 2012 

Editor’s note: A staffer produced this piece just before New Year’s but then left for vacation and it was lost in the shuffle and not presented to you until January 12, 2013.

At The Running Event, an industry trade show for shoe retailers, American marathoner Ryan Hall was one of the celebrity athletes in attendance, as was Meb Keflezighi.

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As part of his duties with his shoe sponsor Asics, Ryan had a Q&A with the audience. During the Q&A, Ryan marveled at the 190-mile weeks of Canadian 10k runner Cam Levins.

Ryan was also asked about what shoes he ran in. Asics’ biomechanic expert Simon Bartold had previously advocated that athletes not run in the same shoe all the time, and Ryan definitely takes that approach.

Ryan’s baby: The Asics Gel Hyper Speed

“I have a different shoe for every speed that I run. If I’m running super easy I’ll go with the Gel Cumulus, if I’m going moderate pace which is between 5:30 and 6 minute pace generally I’ll put on the DS Trainer or the Gel Lyte, as I mentioned I’m transitioning into that shoe. When I’m trying to do marathon specific paces I go with the Gel Hyperspeed because that is what I race in. That shoe is my baby. I have maybe an unhealthy attachment to that shoe. They sent me that shoe as a prototype before I ran my first half marathon in 2007. My first race in that shoe I broke the American record in the half-marathon and have loved that shoe every since,” Ryan said.

Ryan added that even after Asics made him custom racing shoes for the 2008 Olympics that he “gravitated back to the Hyperspeed just because I like it so much. I think it speaks really highly to that shoe. It’s an amazing shoe. I’ll probably run every single marathon the rest of my career in that shoe.”

Ryan says when he gets on the track and does faster stuff he uses the Gel Piranha.

So there you have it:
Ryan Hall’s Shoes:
Easy Runs: Asics Gel Cumulus
Medium Paced: DS Trainer Or Gel Lyte
Race Pace and Favorite Shoe: Gel Hyperspeed
Track Stuff: Gel Piranha

More Ryan Hall At TRE: Ryan Hall Talks About Cam Levins’ 190-Mile Weeks
More TRE: Two Products To Help You Recover Better And Stay Injury Free
*Five Takeaways From TRE

Full disclosure: Asics was an advertiser on LetsRun.com in 2012. This article was not tied to that advertising in any way. LetsRun.com receives a commission when our visitors buy shoes from Road Runner Sports. Thank you for your support in advance.

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