Updated: February 17th, 2021
Under Armour Releases Running Shoe With No Rubber Outsole

UA Flow is a responsive, grippy, and supportive singular-foam compound that eliminates the rubber outsole, enabling Under Armour to create an innovative, high-traction running shoe with nothing on the market like it today. UA Flow makes its debut in the running category with the UA Flow Velociti Wind, a high-performance running shoe offering.

The UA Flow Velociti Wind was designed and engineered to provide great responsiveness and energy return, grippy traction so you can run with confidence, and a groundbreaking super-engineered upper solution, UA Warp, that molds perfectly to the human form to unlock performance. The UA Flow Velociti Wind is designed for speed over longer distances – putting the wind at your back with every stride.

UA Flow came from the minds of Under Armour’s Footwear Innovation Team in Portland, Oregon, who partnered with some of the world’s best material science companies to bring a completely new footwear experience. They focused on the simple idea: how could they make it feel like the wind is at your back with every stride? The solution: think outside the box by eliminating the traditional rubber outsole completely, all while providing comfort, flexibility and traction with every step.

The development of UA Flow was executed in partnership between Dow and the Under Armour team including Innovation, Product Design, Biomechanics, Athlete and Consumer Insights groups, and many others – with over 50 people involved in collectively bringing this new technology to fruition. Over 130 elite athletes ran more than 11,000 miles during the product weartesting phase of the UA Flow development process.

The UA Flow midsole technology made its debut in the basketball category with the launch of Stephen Curry’s signature shoe, the Curry Flow 8, under his new namesake brand. Working with the basketball legend meant the performance team could leverage their learnings across categories, and design footwear solutions for elite basketball and run athletes.

UA Flow disrupts the design of a traditional running shoe by completely eliminating the rubber outsole, reducing the 2-3 ounces of weight that it adds, on average, from a traditional running shoe. UA Flow is the lightest midsole technology in UA’s current running lineup, bringing unparalleled lightweight cushion and long-lasting technology to the run category. The foam has naturally sticky traction, so traditional bulky overlays of the past aren’t needed.

UA Flow debuts in the run category with the UA Flow Velociti Wind, a lightweight performance running shoe designed for runners who seek a neutral platform with a go-to fast feel. At just 8.5oz (men’s size 9), this shoe is a solution for runners looking for speed and support in their tempo workouts, fast-paced long runs, and longer road races.

UA Warp is a groundbreaking upper that molds perfectly to the human form to unlock performance. It features supporting tapes that act like seatbelts on the foot, placed precisely where our biomechanists found them to be most helpful for a runner. The tapes are in tension when you need them and relax when you don’t – eliminating any buckling and pinch points from traditional uppers built with continuous materials.

The UA Warp upper then moves in unison with the foot, supporting it in each step to help unlock performance by improving the efficiency of the foot to shoe interface in each stride. UA Warp locks you onto the UA Flow midsole without getting in the way of the foot’s natural movement.

The UA Flow Velociti Wind helps runners grip the surface better and run with confidence, with unparalleled traction. Flow’s rubberless outsole provides higher traction than traditional compounds to grip the surface better. Even without a traditional outsole, weartesters found that UA Flow performed in any condition they faced – from wet cement to uneven gravel and variable roads.

“UA Flow is another huge leap forward for Under Armour—and it opens up the possibilities for future models and seasons,” said Josh Rattet, Under Armour Vice President of Global Footwear. “We have been deliberate and focused on our quest to build an authentic and credible run brand over the past few years, and the UA Flow Velociti Wind is truly a testament to our team’s commitment to creating solutions to make all runners better.”

PRODUCT DNA:

Weight: Men’s 9 – 8.5oz (214g) / Women’s 7 – 8.02oz (227g)
Price: $160 USD
Heel: 26mm
Forefoot: 18mm
Offset: 8mm
The UA Flow Velociti Wind launches globally on March 3, and will be available on UA.com, UA Brand Houses, Premium Run Specialty accounts and select Sporting Goods accounts.

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