Newton Running Shoes – worth $175?

There has been a lot of buzz around Newton Running (http://www.newtonrunning.com) and their new shoes. Rather like the Nike Free shoes, Newton promotes the idea that barefoot running is better. However, the approach that Newton takes is rather different. The shoe has ‘actuator lugs’ under the forefoot that are intended to absorb impact more effectively than simple foam. There are a number of minor features of Newton shoes, such as light weight, highly breathable, but it is the forefoot that is the reason for buying them.

Initial impressions

Running in the Newton is very different to other shoes. The forefoot is much thicker, so you naturally land on your forefoot. Standing in the Newton puts your toes slightly higher than your heal, the opposite of most shoes.

Running in the Newton

In most running shoes, I am a midfoot runner, but the Newton shoes make me a pure forefoot runner. (If I do run barefoot, I am a forefoot runner.) I enjoyed my first few short runs (3 miles or so), but I found that my calves were not used to the strain. I also felt that the Newton shoes had a forefoot that was too thick, making me feel a little unstable. This is make worse by the fact that the ‘actuator lugs’ are not the full width of the forefoot, increasing the feeling of instability.

A cheaper alternative?

Having run in the Newton shoes for a while, I got to thinking how I prefer the Nike Free, but like most shoes, the Free has a thicker heel than forefoot. So I found an old pair of Frees and took a knife to them, hacking off the heal and part of the midfoot. This gave me a very light weight shoe with a similar feel to the Newton, allowing me to run on the forefoot very easily. The free is much more flexible and lower than the Newton, which I greatly prefer.

Conclusion

I think that forefoot running is much more natural form of running, and removing the heel excess heel from the shoe makes forefoot running much easier. However, taking a knife to an old pair of shoes is rather cheaper and maybe more effective.