Somnio - The Customizable Running Shoe

If you are a runner, walker or fitness enthusiast suffering from plantar fasciitis, shin splints, tendonitis, IT Band pain, knee, hip or back pain - the Somnio shoe could be the shoe for you.

We discovered this shoe when it debuted at The Running Event - a trade show here in Austin. I was instantly intrigued by the professionalism of the booth staff as the carefully explained the shoe to me. Each shoe can be customized with 24 fitting components:

• 3 densities of heel and forefoot cushioning
• 3 different insoles depending on arch height (low, medium, high)
• 3 degrees of varus wedging for pronation control

A laser fitting guide is used to help determine the right shoe build for each foot. The device points a laser up the leg. As the wearer does a 1/3 knee bend the laser will move off the knee cap if the wearer pronates too much. The shoe is then customized until the laser is centered on the knee cap when the wearer does a knee bend. The process of customizing the shoe takes about 5-10 minutes per shoe.

With different densities (durometers) of heel and forefoot cushioning, the shoe can even be adapted to the running surface. A softer durometer might be preferred on concrete and asphalt, while a firmer durometer might be better for trails and cross-country work.

Two members of my staff received sample Somnio running shoes and the feedback has been very positive from them. Josh remarked that running was far less painful in his Somnios. Recently a good friend, Tish, visited our store from Omaha, Nebraska. Tish has raced in 9 marathons and is constantly bothered with hip pain and bunion pain. She customized a pair of Somnios (asymmetrically) for her specific issues and she can now run without hip pain or her bunion bothering her. I shot a short video of Tish explaining her experience running in Somnios.

We still haven't received the Somnio shoes in our store, but we are expecting delivery toward the end of April. At prices ranging between $140-$160, the shoes are comparable to other high-end running shoes, with no charge for gait assessment and customization. I will continue to publish user feedback as people start wearing them. Here's a link to our Somnio web page. For more information about Somnio, visit http://www.somniorunning.com