Conti compounds offer improved grip for pro marathon runners

ERJ staff report (LMH)

Hanover, Germany -- Tire manufacturer Continental says it has been supplying rubber compounds, which provide “noticeably improved” grip on wet and dry surfaces, to adidas for four years now.

The technology partnership between adidas and Continental has been continuously expanded in recent years, Conti said in a 16 May news release, adding that now adidas offers more than 30 different models of running and trekking shoes featuring a non-slip Continental sole.

More grip means better contact with the running surface, improved traction, and thus faster times, Continental said. Professional marathon runners are exploiting this technological edge to set ever faster times, as was impressively demonstrated by the new course records set in Hanover and Tokyo in 2013 and in London in 2012, as well as the new men's world record set in Berlin in 2011.

"We are delighted that the adidas running shoes with our rubber compound technology developed in Hanover are helping many professional athletes to achieve new personal best times and break course records,” commented David O’Donnell, Head of R&D for Passenger and Light Truck Tires at Continental.

He added, “This shows the potential long-term benefits of looking beyond your immediate industry for new technology and solutions. During the development of our premium products, which stand out primarily due to exceptionally good grip in the wet, we even looked at gripping mechanisms from the animal kingdom – cats and polar bears in particular – and also focused on the production of rubber from dandelion plants."

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News release from Continental