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Apr 4, 2008 6:25 pm US/Eastern
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New Shoe Aimed At Changing The Way We Run
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Whether its electronics, fashion or running, everyone's looking for the next big thing -- particularly if it enhances performance.
Some of the world's top tri-athletes are wearing something called the Newton -- a new shoe with a radical design.
Now, the shoe's creators are reaching out to runners in Boston.
It's a simple sport: put one foot in front of the other -- the faster the better. The most important piece of equipment is what goes on your feet.
Which is why for decades, people have pounded the pavement in shoes with chunky cushioning under the heel. There's a new shoe in town -- the Newton -- as in gravity -- that questions the very way we run.
"If we all took our shoes off right now and ran on the concrete, we wouldn't be striking our heel. We'd be running on our forefoot very carefully and very lightly," explains Danny Abshire of Newton Running.
Which is why the Newtons are designed with a patented forefoot cushioning.
Newton Running Company officials recently taught associates at CitySports about what makes their shoes different. "Right now 80 percent of people run with the heel strike first," said Abshire. "Heel striking is stopping your forward momentum and pushing hard to regain that momentum. With the Newton, we want you to roll like a wheel."
"Once you start changing, you could use some muscles different way, so you want to transition very slowly," said Jerry Lee, CEO of Newton Running.
Do they feel different? Sure. They're not like any shoe I've ever run in. You definitely notice the forefoot cushioning.
Will they make me faster? I can't honestly say.
"I think we'll know in a couple of years whether this shoe is the next greatest thing in footwear," said running coach Fred Treseler. "But the important thing is the engineers are trying to find ways for everyday people to go out and train."
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