Three time XTERRA world champion, Conrad Stolz has expressed his joy about the Avia Avi Stolz, a new running shoe resulting from a close collaboration between Avia and the athlete: ”I’m super excited. The moment I got the shoes I test ran them into the Dallas sunset. As I stood there on the levee, I marvelled at the full moon rising over the skyscrapers of downtown Dallas and I realised, this is my proudest moment of the year. This shoe, with my name on it, that I helped build, is my 08 World title.”
The shoe is pitched as an XTERRA racing shoe with a light weight and yet a solid mid sole to cope with rough terrain. Heel and tongue tabs ease transition and a well supported upper limits foot movement within the shoe particularly whilst running over rough ground. A fine mono filament mesh prevents the entry of dirt and sand, whilst also ensuring breathability.
The new Avi Stolz shoe is due to become available in April 2009, with an estimated retail price of US$110.
Stolz added: “The cosmetics were secondary (in my mind) but in the end, one of the key functional parts of the upper design (the black web like bands criss-crossing the shoe to bind the foot to the sole) became the essence of the catchy cosmetic design. The large red part pulls the laced up forefoot towards the heel and anchors it to the mid sole. The red and grey band anchors the heel to the mid sole. So the foot is stabilized from the front and the rear by the large bands, and the black web does the rest of the support.”
