Newton’s Laws

(October 2008)
Have you heard of the POSE method of running? Picture yourself leaning forward and lifting your legs with your quads versus your hamstrings. Try to shorten your stride and plant your feet flat. Now that may be an oversimplification of the POSE method but it is part of the reason for the emergence of a specialty running shoe that incorporates the POSE method in its sole. NEWTON running shoes are moving beyond their Boulder Colorado beginnings and have landed in some smaller retail establishments. I caught up with the co-founder Jerry Lee at his booth at the NYC Marathon. I have to admit, an old guy runner like me is not the target market. The colors of the shoes are vibrant and the structure and engineering are solid. They also have a few elite athlete endorsers now. In the booth that day was Josh Cox. He talked about the initial awkwardness of running in the Newtons. We also talked about training barefoot and how the way we run barefoot is exactly how you would run in the Newtons. It makes sense. The one area that may hurt Newtons is the price of entry. Shoes range from $140 to $175. Word has it that the Newtons sold well at running event Expos. Upon my return to Bethesda MD, I happened to check out the new City Sports retail store. It did not take long to spot the Newtons on the shelves with their bright vibrant colors. I also heard that Newton execs tried for years to sell their concept to the few large running shoe companies and got the polite no thanks. Now that some elite runners are wearing Newtons and winning in these shoes (check out the shoes on this fall’s IRONMAN race winner), more shoe industry experts may take notice.