Adidas Takumi Sen
The quest for a marathon flat can be taxing. For the most of us, it could get boring racing and training in the same shoe again and again. Most end up getting new flats to race and in turn realize, awww this shoe is not for me.
I saw the takumi sen in Hong Kong and never looked back. I was on a trip with my girlfriend and she purchased this pair of racing flats for me as a gift. It cost 1099 hkd in Jan 13.
This shoe felt really good on the feet. Initial impressions seemed positive. I was jogging up and down the store at Tsim Sha Tsui and was convinced this is the shoe i need. The key decision criteria lies in how this shoe wraps around your feet comfortably and the responsiveness it provides on every stride. I could feel it just by jogging in it!
I could fondly remember my first test-run in it. I brought it out for a 10km tempo run and clocked a very good pace but didn’t felt too hard. I describe the shoe as ‘the shoe that doesn’t slow down’ to my friend!
Thereafter, I used it for all my tempo runs and crucial LSD leading up to my marathon.
This shoe gave me a PR in 10km, 21km and 42km. I’m not an elite runner but this shoe works for me at sub 5:10 pace in a full marathon.
500km into runs and there’s significant wear and tear underfoot. The responsiveness is wearing off but hey, its a racer. 500km is hard to come by nowadays. I have this shoe for more than a year now and I’m still using it.
There’s new colorway for the shoe. Its widely available in Hongkong. SG is selling it through runners gait.
A man’s meat is another man’s poison. This shoe works for me and i highly recommend it to runners looking for the following attributes:
- Low stack heights
- Light weight racer
- Meshy Upper
- High Responsiveness
- Midfoot / Heel-strikers (For heel strikers, do note that the outsole will wear out faster)
- Minimal cushioning
- No habit of going sockless
The Adidas Takumi Sen is available at Runners Gait at S$229.
thanks for the review,
I’ll be visiting Hong Kong soon, I see the difference in price betwen HK and SG for this shoe is about 25%, which is not bad… did you find that HK has good prices for running gear? Also, any must-visit stores?
Also, I reckon this shoe has minimal/no arch support, so only recommended for neutral pronators, izzit?
Hi TheRUnningAngmo, pricing wise really depends on brand of shoe. i.e.: Primeknit is more expensive in Hkg than in SG, despite the lack of tax.
You can simply visit any of the Adidas/Nike stores in departmental stores or stand-alone boutiques. You have to do your homework so as to minimise impulse purchases.
If you ask me, i believe this shoe is minimalist. It has no arch support and is suited for racing and for neutral runners with efficient strides.
Unfortunately I developed plantar fasciitis (self-diagnosed) which is not yet completely gone… I think running in worn-out shoes played a major role, along with my overpronation and the (not so great) quality of the Nike shoes. So I moved to Asics Gel Gt-2000 which I still use for all distances…
So I guess the ones here do not have good arch support… Did you ever had probs such as PF, and would you recommend anything for my case?
thanks
You have to make your foot stronger, use rubber band that’s going to help you
Hmmm i’ve not have much clue on shoes that provide arch support. But i’ve heard of peeps swearing by stability shoes such as DS Trainer/Fastwitch/Elixir series.
PF is a sticky issue. I’ve not encountered PF (thank God), but i’ve heard peeps whom tried Viratta and have had success in it.
So yea i wouldn’t recommend any of these since i’m not the person in subject, happy running!
This is slightly off-topic but I read TheRunningAngMoh’s overpronation issue. I suffer from that too, and obtain some relief by running in New Balance 1080v4 and alternating with Saucony Hurricane 15. For the former, I even add in a pair of arch supports from Scholl. So far so good. As for PF, got to watch it as many runners go down for months or years because of that. I have a slight PF which I address by taping the sole of the feet during long runs. I find that regular soaking in ice-cold water helps to some extent as well.
thanks both, will be checking those out for my next purchase. PF is certainly a bitch, I got it under control for now, but as I want to start training for Sundown I am worried about it..
@rain-man, I tried taping but it always comes off after 1 hour or running or so due to sweat and friction 🙁 I do try to stretch as much as I can, and I also think rolling a frozen bottle of water has helped to some extend
Quick questions if you don’t mind 😉 :
1) why do you say you can’t run sockless in them ? Any specific reason (rough mesh ??) ?
2) runningwarehouse.com states the shoe as having a non-removable insole, can you confirm ?
3) maybe by now you’ve replaced those with Takumi Sen 2 ? If that’s the case can you comment on the differences ?
Thanks and best regards,
pyf
yeap the mesh is not as friendly as you would expect from say, a saucony a6.
yes insole is non-removable
the upper is better in takumi sen 2. for me, the 1 seemed to compress my feet a lil due to the design of the upper and the laces provided. the enhancement makes the shoe better, no changes in e sole!