Lidl launches carbon running shoe

Running can be quite an expensive hobby if you value a cool look and the latest footwear technology. To achieve personal bests, it is no longer just professionals but also many amateur athletes who rely on carbon running shoes. These shoes feature a midsole made of a lightweight carbon fibre plate.

This technical advantage comes at a price, at least from major sportswear brands like Adidas, Nike and Hoka. For example, the Nike Alphafly 3 model costs over 300 euros ( 348.5 dollars) in the US brand's online shop. The discount sportswear brand Crivit is now offering a shoe for just 69.99 euros.

The ‘CarbonLite 1.0’ has been available in the Lidl online shop for women and men in two colourways each since the end of February. It features a carbon plate designed to promote “energy return through improved power transmission” and a knitted upper, according to the product description. Several sizes in the men's models, ranging from 41 to 46, are already sold out.

Not a shoe for beginners

In a test by Runner’s World, the typical rolling motion of these shoes, the well-ventilated upper material and the fit were particularly impressive. The weight was noted as a negative point. A men's size 45 test shoe weighed over 306 grams, while Lidl states 250 grams. The running platform therefore classified the shoe as a faster training shoe rather than a competition shoe like other carbon models. Nevertheless, the testers were positively surprised by the “performance” of the discount model.

However, it must also be considered that while the shoe's price is tailored to beginners, its technology is aimed more at ambitious athletes, according to Runner's World. Various running experts, such as Sebastian Bär, also criticise the shoe for this reason.

The CEO of the German shoe supplier Joe Nimble warned last week in a post on the career network Linkedin about dangers such as overuse from the stiff carbon plate. He also highlighted the chronic consequences if such a “tool for measured use” is used continuously due to its mass availability. The side effects are greatest in the broad amateur market. “Anyone who wants to use carbon shoes sustainably for their own performance needs clear dosage as well as targeted foot and big toe training.”

Lidl, however, does not market the shoe in such a specialised way on social media. A humorous Instagram post from last week stated that with the shoe, you would be the “first one at the bakery”.

The discounter has been in the process of realigning and internationally positioning Crivit since the middle of last year. To this end, Lidl signed up former tennis star Stefanie Graf as a new brand ambassador in February.