Newton shoes...Anybody?

Overpriced , suspect technology.

I think when discussing Newtons it is the perfect instance to use the phrase "shoes are just shoes". Shoes do not make a person more efficient with form, a person makes themselves more efficient with their running form. Honestly, I don't think they'll make much of a difference. Heck, I've even seen guys heel striking in them. As with so many shoes in the modern industry, I think it's just overpriced smuff (with low durability, I've heard?).

But hey, I could be wrong, as I'm just a holder of an insignificant opinion in a field of many.

Yeah, there's something to be said for this, but shoes can certainly help with form. Imagine running with Beasts versus Kinvaras? Or even Adrenalines versus Mirages. I wear the Gravity's and really like them. I think if you think they're comfortable, give them a shot. They have a 30 day no questions asked return policy. And really, all the other shoes are catching up as far as prices are concerned.

Yeah, at first, the feel is a little strange. I don't know of anyone who wears them who hasn't said something similar.

For a few years, I wouldn't even acknowledge them. Just like BS, I thought they were overpriced and gimmicky. Finally, I agreed to give them a try, mostly because the sales rep agreed to give me a pair.

About the forefoot technology that has so many people in disagreement: I'm not sure that Newton's technology is any less gimmicky than any of the rearfoot technologies the other companies offer. The ASICS Kinsei? The Mizuno Prophecy? I'd call those gimmicks, certainly, in that they don't really do anything for the runner other than give a specific feel to the shoe. Most of those technologies don't really provide any real benefit--nothing, anyway, that makes you a better runner or reduces injury. And I like that Newton is trying things that others don't or won't. Almost every other "technology" is designed to absorb or attenuate shock, whereas the Newton technology is designed with propulsion in mind. Is it a perfect technology? No, of course not. Is it for everyone? No, of course not.

But now that I've been wearing them, my experience is that the forefoot is less intrusive and the whole shoe just feels like a low profile, very firm shoe. I think that the initial feel is so awkward because most people are used to shoes with higher heels and a big, marshmallowy forefoot.

Relative to almost everything else, Newton now feels to me very responsive, very firm. I notice the forefoot only when I'm jogging, really, and less and less the faster I run. Shoes that are firm and responsive are my favorite, anyway, so perhaps the relative difference is far less than other people might experience. The adidas Adios 2 is another shoe that I like to run in, though I'd bet most people would think that it is way too firm.

And while the price tag might appear prohibitive, when you consider that Newton shoes tend to last at least half again as long as other shoes, the dollar per mile value is probably about the same or even less so.

My wife and I have run for nearly 35 years, so have a variety of challenges to keep our running going. One of hers is a neuroma that had limited her runs to 3 to at most 4 miles per day (and she'd run 90-100 per week at her peak years). She still has issues with the neuroma, it won't go away at this point, but she's slowly built up to 11 mile runs for her long runs on the weekend, a huge improvement. She took her time adjusting to them, like starting with 1/4 mile, and following Newton's suggestions on how to adjust formwise. End result is that she's again been able to race 8 and 10 km's and not just 5's, and has actually signed up for a 1/2 for this coming spring.

Good luck, Newton's a possible choice, and I am a NIKE guy all the way.