New Balance turns limited edition Made in the UK 730 sneakers blue to mark manufacturing anniversary

New Balance, admittedly one of the hottest sneaker brands at the moment, has launched an exclusive 730 London Edition trainers that pay homage to the TCS London Marathon and also mark 40 years of UK manufacturing for New Balance. There are only 450 pairs of the 2022 London edition, so if you fancy a pair, you'd better get them as soon as you can.

The 730 was one of the first models created by New Balance when the brand started manufacturing in the UK in its Flimby factory in 1982. New Balance explains that the colour choice comes from the TCS London Marathon’s famous blue stripes, which are designed to help runners take the shortest route on the course. The stripes are laid down by a professional road marking company on the Friday night before the race and cleaned off again before the roads reopen to traffic.

Coincidentally, the New Balance Flimby factory also features a blue-painted walkway around the site to indicate the best routes to walk. The blue design details continue to the inside of the shoe, with a solid blue line running down the insert, "providing another subtle nod to the iconic race", NB says. A lace keeper featuring ‘RTB’ and a woven label on the back of the tongue gives a nod to the New Balance community run crew, Run The Boroughs. 

First established in 2018, Run The Boroughs is a weekly run crew that "harnesses the power of community to bring together runners of all abilities for weekly runs", exploring the city of London. NB says members of the community are connected by a love of running, a love of the city and a healthy thirst for post-run pints.

Retailing at £170, the 730 London edition is available now at New Balance at the New Balance Oxford Street store and from the New Balance stand at the TCS London Marathon Running Show. Limited numbers will also be available from select retailers.

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