August 29, 2024 - Envalior today announced it has partnered with norda, a Montreal-based trail running shoe company, to deliver the 005 ultra distance super shoe, which was unveiled during the UTMB race series in Chamonix, France, August 27. According to Envalior, the “unique ride”—the feeling of the ground-shoe interface during contact—of the 005 is engineered through an innovative midsole and soleplate combination. The midsoles are made with Arnitel, a thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TPC), and the soleplates are made of Vibram Mega Grip Elite rubber soleplate.

According to Envalior, Arnitel demonstrates resiliency, strength and mechanical property retention while elevating product sustainability and delivering durability and performance in the 005 shoe. With its versatile processing capabilities for physical and other traditional foaming technologies, the material is optimized for producing low-carbon midsoles that allow athletes to perform better and longer, the company claims.

According to Andre Oosterlaken, Product and Market Innovation Manager for Arnitel at Envalior, norda chose Arnitel for its midsoles because of the following unique product attributes:

• Benchmark Rebound: Arnitel outperforms other midsole foam materials in rebound weighted by foam density.
• Outlasting: Arnitel outlasts other high-performance midsole foam materials that can only perform at peak conditions for a very limited time.
• Consistent Performance: Arnitel FM grades have been designed to exhibit very stable mechanical properties in different temperatures. As such athletes will experience very consistent performance while running in any climate and/or trail conditions.
• Sustainable: Arnitel based midsoles can be recycled and are available in low carbon footprint and/or renewable source/biobased grades.

Material technology partners give trail runners foot support

Earning a reputation for balancing durability and comfort in sports shoes, Arnitel is soft to the touch with a lightweight structure and rubber-like strength and flexibility, Envalior claims. Compared to TPU, midsoles made from Arnitel demonstrate a 17% higher rebound, the company says. Arnitel also exhibits extremely low energy loss after foaming, enhancing the wear performance of midsoles to ensure shoes offer reliable foot support during intense physical activities, Envalior says.

“In creating the norda 005 our goal was simple – to find the most advanced midsole foam for trail that combined the highest resiliency possible, yet performed and lasted 5-10x longer than other super foams. We chose Arnitel after two years of intense testing with our norda 665 athlete team in numerous settings — race, training, and adverse conditions. Whereas most super foams fall apart after a single usage, the performance, rebound, durability, and properties of Arnitel TPC are without compromise the finest foam available today,” explained Nick Martire, Co-Founder and CEO of norda.

The manufacturer says 005 has a resiliency of approximately 80.6% – a first in the trail running shoe market — and weighs only 211g (M8.5) and 177g (W8). The shoe also offers a full stack height midsole, the amount of material between your feet and the ground, and a Carbon plate is not required thanks to using 100% Arnitel for the midsole.

According to the company, the shoe’s soleplate is engineered with Vibram Litebase technology to conserve energy and enhance performance with a 30% reduction in overall sole weight. It claims that the Vibram Mega Grip Elite rubber delivers trail runners superior durability, traction, and the strongest possible grip on both wet and dry surfaces.

The upper portion of the 005 is made of an exclusive proprietary weave of almost entirely bio-based Dyneema and recycled nylon, creating a strong, light, and responsible trail shoe upper . The weight is less than 90g/m2 and +3000N warp and weft tear strength.

“Norda’s constant strive to create the most dynamic and responsive running shoes has led to it being the first brand to ever bring three incredible component brands together; Vibram, Dyneema, and now Arnitel, creating the lightest, fastest, most stable trail shoe ever made,” said Martire.

Performance and sustainability go hand-in-hand at norda

Norda has a dual commitment to high performance and sustainability. From the beginning, the norda️ mission has been about helping every trail runner love every run.
“We do this by empowering runners to push their performance further than they thought possible. But we also do this by ensuring we can all live up to our collective responsibility to protect exactly what makes trail-running so spectacular: the natural world we run through,” said Martire.

The 005 will be available to consumers in Spring 2025, and the norda 001/003 mainline of footwear will transition to Arnitel midsoles in 2025.

Envalior is a global leader in Engineering Materials with over 4,000 employees worldwide. It was established in 2023 through the merger of Lanxess Performance Materials and DSM Engineering Materials.

Founded in Montreal, Canada in 2020, and headquartered in the mountains of the Eastern Townships of Quebec, norda run, inc. is a privately held footwear and apparel company.

Source: Envalior