Top 7 sneakers still to come in 2023

Cateran Yomp 2024

The Cateran Yomp is a journey through the Cairngorms in Scotland with the objective of completing the full 54-mile loop in 24 hours, all in aid of the Army Benevolent fund. The event is split into three sections: Bronze (22 miles), Silver (36 miles) and Gold (54 miles) and is designed to be completed with an average walking pace of 1.8mph if required, despite some participants opting to run.

My Experience of Bronze: An afternoon stroll

Kicking off at 6am, bronze stage consists of the first 22 miles, taking participants from base camp in the town of Blairgowrie, through Blackcraig forest and passing by both Kirkmichael and Enochdhu, before concluding at the remarkably picturesque Spittal of Glenshee. I found the entire duration of Bronze to be fuelled by the adrenaline of nerves, and the buzz of completing a large chunk of the task at hand before lunch time.

As the pack starts to thin out, Kirkmichael to the Spittal of Glenshee also proved to be a harsh reality check, reminding me that this is not a sprint. Nor is it a race. This vital lesson came to me as an elderly gentleman decided to overtake me at an alarming pace and I regrettably refused to allow him to do so. Following this occurrence, I proceeded to talk the 8 miles prior to the Spittal of Glenshee at an incredibly fast pace, overtaking dozens of people in the process but paying the price for my actions in a physically draining sense. At least there was Haggis on offer at the bronze checkpoint. I was only able to overcome my unaware opponent due to one of the steepest hills on the entire course being just before the mandatory checkpoint, and my decisions to run down it. What followed was an avoidable extended break at the bronze checkpoint, and the knowledge that gentleman I followed chose to walk at the previously stated brisk pace because he was in fact finishing at bronze. I however had another 32 miles of Scotland to conquer.

My Experience of Silver: A windy bog from hell?

After discovering my hatred for Haggis, the silver stage began with a tough boggy area that despite being warned about beforehand, not even the stunning scenery could help improve the challenge in front. Each step was not only wet and muddy but proved to be far more physically draining than previously experienced on the ridge trails previously and in front of us. A technically challenging incline immediately after, and a spot of rain for good measure, resulted in the mental challenge element of the Cateran Yomp coming to life. This however was irradicated almost immediately, as were any physical aftereffects of the bog, when I arrived at the checkpoint at Glen Beanie, as I discovered I was infact just hungry. Or to be more specific Hangry. As a result of Haggis being on the menu, I hadn’t eaten enough and paid the price for it across the bog. Snacks at the Glen Beanie and Auchintaple water stops acted as the first major learning curve for the day. Eat as much as possible at every opportunity!

My Experience of Gold: A cold and hard humbling

After some foot care, a lot of food, and a brief pause to let a shower blow over, I left the silver checkpoint at Glenisla (36 miles) in surprisingly good physical condition and with the overly optimistic plan of finishing the last 18 miles at a rate of 3mph which would bring is back into Blairgowrie basecamp at approximately 3am. For 9 miles that was looking promising, supported by a combination of the temperature not dropping a drastically as predicted, and the rather selfish motivation that hundreds of participants had dropped out and bronze and silver while I was able to march onwards. However, with water stop 5 in our rear-view mirror and roughly 9 miles to go, my feet and legs eventually overcame my ego and decided to make the remaining miles and painful and time-consuming endeavour. To be specific, the last 9 miles took 5 hours to complete as my body slowly decided it was finished for the day. I effectively opted for a combination of a snail’s pace walk and a shuffle as I made my way to the final water stop, only enhanced by a seemingly never-ending piece of road just before the stop point at Rattray Burn which yompers of previous years will know ruins both your feet and mental resilience in equal measures.

Despite the incredible mental boost that comes with reaching Rattray Burn, yompers of the past will also know of the deceptively challenging mental battles that come within the last 4 miles. First, walking through the town of Blairgowrie played on the mind of those of us who were following the directions on the course, and not consulting a map as we did so. While I knew the town of Blairgowrie essentially marked the finish line, I was rather ignorantly unaware of just how much of the town I had to walk around, and how far out the finish line was from Blairgowrie itself. Secondly during my tour of the town, organisers had kindly included approximately 80 steps that looking back I could have crawled up faster. The last, but far from the least, mental challenge of the 2024 Cateran Yomp came in the form of being able to physically see the basecamp and finish line around 45 minutes before I would eventually reach it. With the experience and lessons of the day, this will be less of an issue in future years when I am better prepared and don’t sign up on 6 weeks’ notice. However, for my fist occasion this was an incredibly mentally sapping sight to see which only made the finish line that much sweeter.

The top 7 sneaker drops still to come in 2023

With just 6 weeks left of 2023, we would assume that the best sneaker drops of the year are in our rear-view mirror and we should be looking towards the near year to add to our collections. However, as always, both Nike and Adidas still have some gems up their sleeves yet. Below are 7 sneakers sill to be released this year, and why they should be added to your rotation.

7. Nike Air Max 1 White University Blue. 23rd November 2023.

The ‘University Blue’ is just another classic rendition of a two-toned shoe on an iconic shoe that Nike made their name on. Despite being far from the most popular shoe in mainstream society today, the Air Max 1 is not going out of production any time soon and will always have a place in a sneakerheads collection for the variety of designs and movements their heritage contains.

Despite being released on November 23rd, the ‘University Blue’ gives a summer vibe with the baby blue and white combination being a light and fresh look. The tones make the overall look very easy on the eye and a pleasant alternative the Air Max 1s most popular triple black edition.

6. Air Jordan 11 Gratitude. 9th December 2023.

Another ‘Gratitude’ edition of the Jordan 11 will have most Jordan collectors throwing their wallets at the supplier and therefore make the £190 retail price continue to be widely considered reasonable. This model, releasing on December 9th, features the classic black and white contrast with the gold Jordan Jumpman stealing the show on the rear of the shoe. The black shine that, just like all AJ 11s covers half of the upper, consists of a wavy flow to its shape that gives the overall show an alternative silhouette and dynamic. The white leather upper however and thick white laces provide a sleek element to an otherwise bulky shoe that should fly off the shelves and into the collections of most passionate Jordan collectors.

5. Nike Dunk Low Bacon. 30th November 2023.

The Nike Dunk is as iconic as the Air Force 1 regarding its place in sneaker history, and just like the Air Force 1 it’s not going away anytime soon. On this occasion however, Nike have applied an iconic Air Max 90 colourway to the shoe and created the Dunk Low “Bacon’.

The upper has a vibrant red flowing through white toe and side panels with a baby pink swoosh on top and a matching tongue. The soleplate continues the theme of not exactly matching by coming in a brown colourway that particularly stands out against the crystal white of the lower. Similar to Air Force 1s, Dunks have increased in price as fast as their popularity has rapidly grown and with the bacons setting you back £130, more than an Air Force 1.

4. Air Jordan 3 Fear. 25th November 2023.

For £190, the AJ 3 ‘Fear’ is one of the bulkier Jordans models on the market, but still remains average by comparison of its retail price. The Fear edition plays into its heritage and easily identifiable shape, regardless of the colour it is in. By doing so this version, releasing on the 25th of November 2023, uses multiple dark tones that combine together to make the minute and piecing orange shoelace hole and Jordan logo to be the standout feature and the first thing you’ll notice at a glance.

However, after paying more attention, the real attention grabbing and wallet emptying features feature in the said dark tones, coming in the mid-sole, toe cap and heel. The former features a gradient of light grey to black with a white speckle effect towards the rear of the shoe that contrasts the overall tone of the show to a more subtle degree than that of the orange. Only just above there is an animalistic-style print on the toecap and heel consisting of a black overlaying and unsymmetrical print in a grey tone. Overall, this shoe forces you to pay more attention than you’ll realise at first glance.

3. END. x adidas Samba Consortium Cup. 23rd November 2023.

Sambas and the culture they come associated with, especially in the UK, make any pair stand out and the image of a matchday pub before kick-off come to life. The Consortium Cup edition, releasing on 23rd November, has an entirely beige upper with a slightly darker sole. This allows the contrasting distressed stripes of the upper to capture the eye and become the main event of the shoe, despite similarly having a dark tone. The patterns inconsistent flow allows for its rather un-noticeable blue and red elements to make the shoes third colour of beige arguably its most interesting feature. Regardless, the Consortium Cup Sambas remain an interesting pickup for their alterative look to the many iconic pairs of Sambas, while retaining the shoes iconic culture and heritage, particularly in the UK and Germany.

2. Nike Air Force 1 07 PRM Midnight Navy Brown. 24th November 2023.

The famous Air Force 1 that everyone has owned in one rendition, or another has received an upgrade influenced by the Autumnal seasons. The ‘Navy Brown’ edition features a corduroy and tweed collaboration with to produce potentially the only Nike sneaker that wouldn’t look out of place in a stereotypical English countryside village. That is until your eyes get to the crème lower and sole of the shoe, which brings you straight back to the modern design of the sneaker and reminds you of exactly what puts the AF1 in right at the top of sneaker royalty. At £120, the price of AF1s has risen as fast as their popularity as they remain at the forefront of every sneaker collection, and feature in every iconic Nike collaboration to date.

Nike TN Air Max Plus Light Photography Blue. 30th November 2023.

Releasing on the 30th of November 2023 and costing £175.00 the Light Photography Blue becomes the next in a long line of TNs that have become a staple piece in every sneaker collector’s rotation.

In this edition, the iconic bulky shape and sole-based air capsules comes with a white midsole with a solid block of blue in the centre that matches the waves and shape of the shoe in its wavy shape. To contrast this, the uppers toe cap and heel come in a solid black shine to allow the main event, the rest of the upper, to take centre stage.

The canvas upper feature a minimalist and abnormally small Nike swoosh, identical to that which features on many TNs. The rest of the canvas features no harsh edges but instead a gradient of blue ranging from dark to light, but in no particular direction. Playing a key role in making this shoe stand out, the gradient incorporates solid white strings, that similarly consist of no harsh edges, flowing across the shoe in the classic direction we can all identify of a TN, before finishing at the laces that they match in an identical crystal white colour.

Images: Nike.com ENDclothing.com