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Lead Stories: Monday, October 13, 2008

Brooks Makes First Biodegradable Midsole Available in Trance 8 Model

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Press Release: Leading performance running company Brooks Sports, Inc. today announced that BioMoGo, the world’s first biodegradable midsole, is now available to consumers in the new Trance™ 8 premium support shoe. Brooks designed BioMoGo to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoe midsoles, making it one of the most significant sustainable technologies to hit the running footwear market.

BioMoGo midsoles include a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to break down nutrients into reusable byproducts.
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ASICS chairman Kihachiro Onitsuka has passed away

Posted October 2nd, 2007 at 9:30 AM by Mickey Katz

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

ASICS Corporation chairman Kihachiro Onitsuka died on Saturday September 29 of heart failure in a hospital in Kobe, Japan. He was 89.

Mr. Onitsuka was born on May 29, 1918, in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan. Concerned at the sight of the nation’s youth after World War II, he made it his mission to inspire young people and chose the world of sports as a means to fulfill his goal.

In 1949, he started Onitsuka Co. Ltd., the first sports shoe company in Japan. Using many creative ideas, he released epoch-making products.

In 1977, ASICS Corporation was formed through a merger of Onitsuka Co. Ltd, G.T.O. Co., an equipment manufacturer, and Jelenk Co., a sports apparel manufacturer. Mr. Onitsuka became the president and aimed to diversify the business to be more competitive on the global sporting goods market.

In 1992, he became chairman of ASICS Corporation, a position he held until his death. Today ASICS is the fifth largest sports goods manufacturer, making products not only for Olympic Gold medalists, but also ordinary people who do sports to keep up a healthy lifestyle.
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Nike Unveils First-of-its-Kind Performance Shoe Designed Specifically for Native Americans

Posted September 27th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Nike today unveiled the Nike Air Native N7, a unique athletic performance shoe designed specifically for Native Americans. The Nike Air Native N7 is the result of nearly two years of collaborative research, development and fit testing in partnership with the Native American community. This first-of-a-kind performance shoe is built on a new and unique last created to address the specific fit and width requirements for the Native American foot. The result is a true Native fitting, performance product.

The Nike Air Native N7 shoe marks another milestone in Nike’s long-standing commitment to Native American communities. Profits from the sale of the Nike Air Native N7 will support “Let Me Play” programs on Native American lands that leverage sport to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.

The Nike Air Native N7 shoe also embraces Nike’s Considered design ethos, where details in the development and design of the shoe are geared to deliver sustainable innovation and reduce waste, without compromising product performance. The Considered design ethos also honors the traditional Native American Seventh Generation philosophy, an approach that respects the impact of decisions made today on seven generations. The shoe’s design draws inspiration directly from Native American culture.
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Choose Running Shoes
by Arch Height

Posted September 17th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Check the height of your arches when you shop for new running or walking shoes. If you have high arches, you usually need shoes with good shock absorption. If you have low arches, you will probably benefit from shoes with good motion control (Gait & Posture, July 2007).

When you run, you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll inward. This is called pronation, which helps to protect you from injury. If you landed on your foot and did not roll, the force of the impact would be transmitted up your leg to increase your chance of breaking bones and tearing muscles. However, as you roll in from the outside bottom to the inside bottom of your foot, you will see that your lower leg twists inward.

Excessive pronation twists your lower leg, which can cause stress fractures of the lower leg bones. It can cause knee pain because it forces your kneecap to rub against the bone of your upper leg. Excessive pronation can even twist your hip joint to cause pain in the hips and lower back.
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TFS Shoe Review:
New Balance 755

Posted May 21st, 2007 at 1:26 PM by Jessica Galvano

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: New Balance 755
Price: $85.00
Shoe Type: Neutral / Neutral Cushioning
Fit: True to size
Weight: 11.1 oz (Men), 9.0 oz (Women)
Pronation Factor: Neutral to Slight Over-Pronation
Best for: Runners with a medium to large build and medium to high arches

As the newest update to New Balance’s 750 series, the 755 remains committed to delivering lightweight cushioning for neutral runners. Our reviewers logged serious mileage with this model and reported positive results throughout nearly every stage of the evaluating process.

Almost an ounce lighter than its predecessor, the 755 boasts a significant weight reduction without sacrificing support or cushioning. Ample and evenly distributed shock absorption made these shoes an instant hit with wear-testers who noted a flexible and smooth overall ride.
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Podcast 8: Interview with Jim Biggins, co-inventor of the new “Stridekick” device

Posted February 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Today’s podcast features an exclusive interview with Jim Bigguns, one of the two MBA students who invented the highly anticipated “STRIDEKICK”. The Stridekick will allow runners to accurately and inexpensively track the mileage on their shoes and alert them when it’s time to consider replacing them.

Download the podcast to learn how the Stridekick will work, how the concept was formulated, when it will be available to the public and why it can benefit runners by preventing injuries.

Listen In
[MP3] Direct Download (Right click, select “save as”).
[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Jim Biggins
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 9.25MB
Length: 00:13:28

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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It’s time! … To start rotating your running shoes!

Posted January 26th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

Rotating two or more pairs of running shoes can produce the following benefits:

1. Reduced risk of injury.
2. Extended lifespan of shoes.
3. Flexibility to use different types of shoes for different types of runs.

It takes up to 48 hours after just a few miles of running for the midsoles of running shoes to fully recover their shock absorption properties. Allowing them time to recover at least that long reduces one’s risk of injury and extends the life span of the shoes.
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Velocy attempts to revolutionize shoe industry; embraces Forward Gravity

Posted January 24th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Amanda Black

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Traditional shoe technology focuses on the heel; a concept that has been widely accepted by manufacturers and athletes for more than 50 years. However, architect Daniel Talbott and his team at Oregon-based Velocy have decided to challenge this conventional wisdom with their innovative new line of running shoes.

After spending ten years researching human performance and identifying the factors that help propel the animal kingdoms fastest species, such as the cheetah and ostrich, Talbot invented Velocy’s patent pending “Forward Gravity” shoe technology. Velocy explains:

“Forward Gravity technology is engineered to place emphasis on the forefoot and in doing this, all weight is shifted forward and supported by your leg’s muscular ability during knee flexion. This is the human body’s natural way of absorbing shock.”

Velocy asserts that Forward Gravity will enable runners to run more efficiently and effectively. They also believe that Velocy shoes are capable of helping elite runners run times that are substantially faster than many, current world records.
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Students invent tracking device that “tells” runners when to replace shoes

Posted January 15th, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Kevin McGinn

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Gadgets & Acces., Miscellaneous

How do you know when you have to replace your running shoes? Well … when they “tell” you to, of course. At least, that’s the idea behind the concept called the “Stridekick”.

Todd Peavey and Jim Biggins, MBA students at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, have conceived a product that will allow consumers to track their shoe’s mileage. The Stridekick will be a small, disposable clip that will attach to the shoelaces to track the distance that a particular pair has traveled.

The average shoe should be replaced after about 350-500 miles. [For more information on when to replace your shoes, check out “When to ‘kick’ your old ‘kicks’”]. Stridekick will alert users when they have reached a certain mileage mark (pre-set by the users). Although we recommend that everyone keeps a training log and track their mileages, the Stridekick is very exciting as it will deliver a critical reminder to replace your footwear and prevent injury.
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Designer announces new (and expensive) GPS-enabled shoes

Posted December 9th, 2006 at 12:45 PM by Caitlin Hughes

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Early next year designer Isaac Daniel and Fele Footwear will release the Compass Global 1000 GPS sneakers on the company’s website to 1,000 lucky people. Wider distribution is planned for later in the spring. These innovative new shoes give a whole new meaning to the term “track shoes”.

The sneakers, which will come in nineteen different colors and a variety of styles for runners and walkers, have an alarm/GPS (Global Positioning System) tracker hidden within the fabric of the shoe. The company’s press release explains, in the event of a perceived crisis, the wearer can activate a Covert Alarm Locator,” which sends a signal to “the company’s ID Conex” and on to the police.
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