The New Balance SuperComp Trainer

This feature is brought to you by New Balance and The Running Company. New Balance’s 2022 range of running shoes are now available at your local The Running Company store.

We recently teamed up with New Balance on a feature in Tempo Journal to highlight the best of their model releases in 2022. Below we hear from MITCH LORKIN on his thoughts around the latest New Balance FuleCell SuperComp Trainer. For the full article, visit Tempo Journal.

Words and Images by Riley Wolff

If you want to know what type of guy Mitch Lorkin is, he once ran 5km at the Dubai Airport while waiting for a connecting flight by jogging up and down the terminal building. Halfway in, he recruited a fellow traveller who completed the run with him. He’s that sort of guy. The type who has a pure love for running, and who wants to share that love for the sport with others. None of this is relevant to New Balance’s FuelCell SuperComp Trainer, but I like the story.

Anyway, the FuelCell SuperComp Trainer is a truly exciting prospect from New Balance. It’s in many ways the reimagining of what a trainer can be. We’re used to thinking of them as heavy, cushioned, lifeless options – they’re the shoe you reach for out of necessity, but New Balance have truly revolutionised the format here. Just ask Mitch.

“The SuperComp Trainer is the first new ‘super shoe’ to really excite by offering something new – it’s responsive and fast enough to race in, protective enough to go long in and comfortably cushioned enough to jog in. If I had to choose one shoe to do it all, this would be it.”

And that’s the thing about high-stack, carbon plated shoes (commonly referred to as “super shoes”). They’ve always been about one thing and one thing only: going fast. And maybe that meant they lacked certain other qualities, like stability or comfort. You can deal with that if you’re going all out for a PB, but New Balance has found a way to offer a much more complete package.

I asked Mitch who he thinks the SuperComp Trainer might be best for, and here’s what he had to say.

“If you struggled in super shoes, historically, because they lacked an appropriate or safe enough platform for you to train in, lacked adequate stability or didn’t offer enough protection underfoot, this might be for you. It’s also potentially a great option if you like the super-shoe feel and want to extend that to your easy days.

It’s definitely a great shoe and a plated super shoe for the masses, but it still won’t be appropriate for everyone – I’d highly recommend getting into your local The Running Company Store to determine their suitability for you before purchasing.”

So, there you have it. Whatever your running goals are for 2022, the team at New Balance have quality options to help you get where you’re headed. There is a reason shoes like the 880 and 1080 are on their twelfth iteration: they’ve built huge fan bases because they help runners keep running. And the SuperComp Trainer? It just might be one of the most fun shoes released in the last year.