For all the attention runners pay to their gear — carbon-plated shoes, featherlight singlets, next-gen wearables—there’s one component that’s often an afterthought: insoles.
Yes, the thin insert that came with your shoes. Insoles should serve to make your shoes not only as comfortable as possible, but also provide cushion impact against hard surfaces, arch support, and stabilization to minimize side-to-side motion.
The problem: Included insoles are usually a mass-produced foam and too one-size-fits-all to do much for us and our individual feet.
A new company wants to change all of that.
Meet FAST Insoles
FAST Insoles aims to change the running game by creating 3D printed insoles shapes specifically for your feet. What’s more, they make it as easy as using your phone in the comfort of your home.
It works like this: FAST Insoles’s app allows you to use your phone’s camera to scan the bottom of your foot in 10 seconds. From there, FAST Insole generates a 3D blueprint and 3D print custom orthotic insoles to match your exact anatomy.
We know what you’re thinking: How accurate can your phone camera really be? “Dead-on — down to the millimeter,” says Cole Zucker, CEO and founder of FAST Insoles. He explains that they’re basically leveraging the same iPhone TrueDepth camera that scans your face to unlock your phone to make it a foot-scanning program, too.Â
”It’s more precise than anything you’d get from a clunky old-school fitting,” Zucker adds.
Zucker, a lifelong runner and biomechanics nerd, says the orthotics market is quietly booming — growing at around 6 to 7 percent annually, with a projected $5 billion future.
Yet, most of what’s available to runners is still stuck in the one-size-fits-all era. “Your feet aren’t just a size — they’re unique, like siblings, not twins,” he says. “Runners need precision fit, not one-size-fits-all afterthoughts.”
The FAST Insole Technology
FAST Insole’s custom insoles are a triple threat: They offer biomechanical precision, sustainability, and cutting-edge design.
Once scanned, the insoles are printed from a durable, eco-friendly TPE polymer with a neoprene top layer that’s both breathable and sweatproof. They’re soft, yet supportive, and reportedly last 500+ miles without breaking down — on par with high-performance shoes, but built specifically for your foot.
The orthotics world may sound niche, but the potential impact is massive. One 2017 Australian study found that certain custom orthotics can reduce injury risk by nearly 30%, particularly for issues like stress fractures and plantar fasciitis. While performance gains are subtler, better alignment and less fatigue over time can lead to faster recovery and longer running careers.
“Anyone who wants to run into their 60s without hobbling should be thinking about this,” Zucker says. After all, longevity is the game for runners and custom support is just as helpful to a 20 year old as a 50 year old.
There’s also an environmental advantage here: FAST Insole’s TPE polymer is recyclable and the production process uses minimal energy compared to traditional insoles or orthotics, which often require shipping materials and physical fittings across multiple facilities. Here, everything happens digitally, instantly, and with almost no waste.
FAST Insole’s custom insoles will run you a pretty penny: $229 for a set. But as all of us runners with injuries or aches know, that’s a small price to pay for a healthy body that can log miles every day.
While FAST Insole is starting with insoles, that’s just the beginning. With your foot’s individual build, Zucker says they may branch out into custom socks, shoes, even gear that fits like it was born for you.Â
“FAST Insole isn’t here to dabble; we’re building a universe where every runner’s kit is bespoke,” he adds.
In a world where personalized fitness is the future — whether it’s custom macros or wearable tech that adjusts in real time — tailoring your gear down to the foot is the next logical step. Literally.
“Running’s about to get personal— wildly personal,” Zucker says.
