Put your feet at ease

Annually, over 100 marathons take place in South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, each often attracting over ten thousand participants. Beyond physical fitness, athletes are continually seeking the best gear for their races, which demands the right materials.

Over 100 marathons are held annually in SEAANZ. Each event often sees over ten thousand participants. Due to rising consumption trends and improved living standards worldwide, Vietnam, as one of the largest footwear producers and exporters, reached USD 22.9 billion for its footwear export value in 2024.

Sports shoes, especially running shoes, endure a lot of punishment. Going on various terrains such as hard asphalt pavements and rocky trails exert immense pressure of wear and tear on the footwear. Runners know that proper running shoes are essential for a smooth and comfortable workout. Good shoes do not only absorb hard shocks and stabilize the foot, but also withstand extreme stress and counter strong pressure on impact.

Having the right footwear is an important contributing factor to great sports performances. It is imperative to utilize different shoes for a different activity. Most runners prefer shoes with stability and low weight, a pair that does not restrict the natural sequences of movements during running. Evonik’s VESTAMID® E polyamide 12, the product that goes into the making of shoe soles, helps runners achieve the desired comfort during their trainings and races. VESTAMID® E polyamide 12 elastomers provide low density, excellent impact strength at low temperatures and wide range of flexibility for shoes soles.

Teen athlete on trackJunge Läuferin auf Tartanbahn

Cushioning within the shoe keeps the feet as comfortable as possible on hard surfaces without neglecting the required athletics while supporting the work of the muscles and joints. Characterized by high dimensional stability and low density, VESTAMID® E polyamide 12 provides users a feeling of effortlessness. In addition, shoes with VESTAMID® E have inherent constancy of properties in fluctuating environmental conditions, coupled with low water absorption. They are thus able to handle environmental influences such as rain, snow and dirt as well as temperatures ranging from as low as -40°C and as high as 80°C.

The sole system is what provides the cushioning, which, depending on the design, is usually divided into a top-sole, mid-sole, and an outsole. Different combinations of materials are used for different types of stresses. A variety of VESTAMID® grades are utilized, mostly as mid-soles or outsoles, providing optimal cushioning for runners all over the world. Evonik understands that sports shoes have to be as tough as the athletics who keep raising the bar on performance, hence we constantly work with producers and sports equipment manufacturers to improve our polyamide 12-based VESTAMID® compounds, which are used in high-quality sports shoe soles.