Salming is a well known brand in Europe and their home country Sweden. In racquet sports they are the big dog. Started in 2001 by a famous hockey player Börje Salming, the company continues to grow and the running shoes have just landed in the USA this past year. The Distance A2 trainer is their general trainer built on Salming’s philosophy “No Nonsense.”
Thomas: The Salming Distance A2 is not a shoe that blows you away when you try it on. Standing in the shoe you will not feel the comfort and plush feeling you get out of the box in other brands. Even walking in the shoe is like, meh. This shoe does not come alive until you run in it, and when you do it is a little bit of a wow. The surprise comes from the efficient feel of the shoe. There isn’t a ton of cushioning, but it seems to be in the right spots from landing to toe off. The shoe glides through the gait well. Weighing in a 8.5 oz. the Distance A2 is light on the feet. The fit is really sweet for my narrow foot. The lacing makes it possible to fit a wider foot as well. No hot spots or heel lift in my runs. For fit I’d give the the Distance an 9 out of 10.
Meaghan: I dig the colorway of this shoe. The black upper with bright pink accents create a nice balance of sleek and flashy. I also like the general fit of the Distance A2. They’re snug through the midfoot but open up slightly in the toebox. There isn’t much cushioning to this shoe, yet they feel relatively soft underfoot. The outsole is constructed with durable blown rubber that is stiff, yet responsive. It takes a little warming up, but once you’ve found a groove, the miles come easier. As Thomas mentioned, it’s a different experience standing/walking in these shoes than running. The shoes are super light. My W7.5 weighed in at 6.15oz.
Thomas: The shoes feel stiffer and less flexible when not running. The overlays are like vinyl giving the shoe a plastic like look. It’s a visual appeal thing. It makes the shoe seem out of date compared to the flexfilm on Saucony, knitted Nikes, welded seems on Puma, and minimal use of seems and overlays on the Zante and Gemini. The price of the shoe is a little steep at $150.
Meaghan: I’m not sure how Salming kept the shoes so light with all the aggressive overlays (props for that). The upper is a 2 layer construction including what Salming calls an Exo Skeleton. It’s intended to eliminate friction, but for me, it was an added discomfort. I could feel the overlays on on my runs and while it didn’t create any real blisters or hot spots, I would have preferred the upper without the second layer.
Thomas: The Salming Running Distance A2 is a solid running shoe that feels great under the foot for an efficient runner. This is a tuned shoe, what I mean by that is, it is more like a sports car than a touring sedan. This shoe is good for a runner that likes to have the cushioning to protect your feet and not lose the feel of the road. I don’t see runners leaving the store with Distance A2 unless they try actually running in the shoe. The shoe shines when you are running. If the reps and store owners can get you to try a demo in the shoes, you may end up being a Salming runner.
Meaghan: This is my first try in Salming Running shoes. They provided us with Distance A2 and a pair of race flats which we’ll be reviewing soon. I’ve been leaning towards more cushioned shoes so the Distance A2 took a little getting used to. It’s a unique shoe. I would compare it to the Mizuno Hitogami (if you removed the soft sockliner and swapped out a wave plate for Salming’s torsion efficiency unit). If you prefer a light shoe, with minimal cushioning but some added support, give the Salming Distance A2 a try.
Shoes provided by Salming USA for review.
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Allow yourself the pleasure of covering mile after mile with the Salming Distance natural running shoe. With great durability and a 5mm heel to toe drop, this shoe is designed to help you overcome both long distances and hard surfaces.
The traditional two-layer waffle mesh upper of the Distance A2 provides a plush feel, and the RunLite midsole adds responsiveness and protection while still maintaining a low weight. Let your feet experience the light, natural feeling – even on long distances.
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I think it is a slight exageration to say Salming is a huge brand in Europe. It is a well-known brand here in Sweden, but not necessarily even huge here. Same might go for the rest of Scandinavia. In the rest of Europe they are virtually unknown outside niche sports like floorball.
edited, thanks
Hi, Thomas, are the Distance A2 true to size? Thanks!
Yes, regular running shoe size worked for me.
Hi Thomas,
After how many miles you think runner will get used on the Distance A2 ?
I would guess it depends on the runner and what shoe they currently running in.