Under Armour's Connected Fitness comes to SA

The UA HOVR Infinite is the foundation and anchor of the UA HOVR run footwear suite.

Under Armour's suite of high-performance HOVR running shoes were designed to help runners boost their performance. The shoes are connected and track a wide array of data from running basics like distance, pace and splits, to detailed running form data including cadence and stride length. Using this data, MapMyRun provides a personalised coaching experience to each athlete, helping each runner find their ideal running form. Runners become a part of the world’s largest digital health and fitness community of 245+ million people.

The UA HOVR run suite for Spring 2019 is the fourth generation of UA’s connected shoes – where physical meets digital. Every high-performance run model within the HOVR suite comes connected. The shoes provide technology that empowers athletes at every level with performance advantages previously available only to the world’s most elite athletes.

Under Armour has embedded a high-fidelity sensor in the midsole of the right-footed shoe that digitally connects seamlessly to the MapMyRun app via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The sensor is fully protected from the elements and will last the lifetime without needing a charge. This connection allows the UA HOVR shoes to track a variety of metrics and data on a run, including distance, pace, splits, cadence, stride length, and lifetime distance.

To connect the shoes to MapMyRun, users open the most recent version of the MapMyRun app in close proximity to connected UA HOVR shoes. The app will detect the pod in the right shoe. The app will prompt a confirmation, after which the shoes are paired, and ready for their first digitally connected run.

Performance-enhancing features

Personalised gait coaching: New in 2019 is the gait coaching feature, which provides an in-depth analysis of a runner’s stride, so they can run with the least amount of effort and better manage their risk of injury. Gait coaching starts with a summary, showing the runner how their current form compares to their ideal form. Paired with coaching tips, the runner receives specific guidance, so they can make adjustments and achieve their ideal form.

The coaching also provides a stride-by-stride analysis of the run. Runners see the paces and portions of the run where they hit their ideal form and where they can improve. This portion of the feature enables runners to analyse hard workouts like intervals, long runs or even races. And since every runner wants to improve, the feature provides a historical view of running form data to communicate if they are improving with each run.

The coaching also provides runners the ability to easily plan their next run using the Form Calculator to calculate their ideal running form for any pace. All these insights together will guide the runner to know if they are running with an ideal form, when their form is breaking down, and will also provide a variety of tips to improve their form.

Distance and pace: Measure directly where the rubber hits the road. Get accurate distance and pace tracking even in the harshest conditions, no GPS needed.

Splits: No need to hit a button, connected footwear will automatically break a run into one-mile splits in order to analyse each portion of the run.

Phone-free tracking: Running without a phone? No problem. Connected footwear tracks every run. After the run, the shoe pod will automatically sync with the MapMyRun app when it comes in close proximity to the runner's mobile device.

• Treadmill tracking
Get credit for every workout. On the coldest days of winter or the hottest days of summer, no matter what reason takes a runner off the road and onto the treadmill, connected footwear will accurately track pace, distance, and splits automatically. No GPS needed.

• Cadence
Cadence is the number of steps a runner takes in a minute. Optimising this number helps athletes run with as little effort as possible at any given pace.

• Stride length
Stride length is the length of ground covered between two consecutive strikes of the right foot. Running with an ideal stride length can help runners better manage their risk of injury.

• Shoe life
Workouts are recorded and saved alongside daily activity, providing a detailed overview of a shoe's life, and making it easy to manage gear.

• Daily steps
Connected footwear tracks every step. Open the MapMyRun app anytime to see a breakdown of daily activity and workout distances.

HOVR Infinite

The UA HOVR Infinite is the foundation and anchor of the HOVR run footwear suite. As a neutral cushion, plush balanced trainer, the shoe is called the UA HOVR Infinite because it was created for distance training, and to provide the runner with a consistent underfoot feel through an infinite number of miles/kilometres.

The sportswear brand describes it as a trainer with soft, full-length HOVR foam encased in an energy web for comfortable landings and springy take-offs; a firm, foam frame matched with deep flex grooves in the outsole for a stable and smooth ride; and a lightweight, breathable upper designed specifically to meet each gender’s anatomical needs, providing stretch and structure where needed most.

The UA HOVR Infinite will be available globally on 1 February 2019. This marks the first connected shoe launch for Under Armour in SA.