We received this testimonial a couple weeks ago. This has got to be the scariest half marathon on the planet.

Thanks for your note Mike, and for serving our country!

At 5 am on 9/20, about 900 strong gathered to run the Air Force Mini here at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The day started with the National Anthem followed by a safety briefing that addressed the condition of the terrain the course was set on.

“Remain vigilant for the possibility of unexploded ordinance (UXO’s) in the pathway of the run. Also, if the red alarm sounds…cease the run and assume the take cover posture until the all clear is given. Discount the lapse against your finish time.”

A side note: at the height of the insurgency here, this base became known as “MORTARITAVILLE.” Hence the briefing.

Then we set off. Mile 1 brought us past a section of a dozen or so well-ripened porta-potty’s. The smell I’m sure rivaled a Calcutta slum. The threat of sniper fire was not a likely occurrence; however a wall of runners along the fence line seemed an unnecessary risk. So mile 2 routed us on to the flightline. This was a place going on with its daily business despite our intrusion. The runners went under the wing of a large airplane (which seemed appropriate for an Air Force sponsored run). Then onto a vehicle access road close to a taxi way. Running on the access road we were slowly passed by a taxiing UAV, followed by a couple of fighter jets.

It dawned on me that these encounters aren’t typical of most 13.1’s.

Being reintroduced to the pavement finally brought us right into a gauntlet of auto traffic. So all-in-all this was a rather intrepid little run ending at 1hr: 50min. I finished to collect my runner’s medal, which was anticlimactic when contrasted to what has just transpired. Another personal goal achieved, though.

I had my children each write their names on my pair of Newtons before they forwarded them to me here. They are very light, breathable, comfortable and durable shoes. The laces stay tied without double knots. Like the prototype MWRAP vehicles and other combat related that equipment manufacturers send to this place as a proving ground, these Newton make the grade.

Mike Sheehy

Newton Running has gotten some terrific editorial coverage since our lanuch, but this new review by Thys Wind in Endurance Magazine ranks as one of the best yet.

“After several months of training and racing in my pair of Cushioned Racers, I dare say that I have found my running shoes for life! After converting over to a midfoot strike a few years back, I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of running shoes available that actually reinforce what industry experts and coaches alike proclaim to be correct running form. The door was wide open for Newton Running to meet this demand and they have delivered! The ride in these feather-light shoes is truly something to experience and I assure you that the action-reaction concept is no marketing ploy.”

That’s quite the endorsement! Read the full review here.

Ironman 70.3 Cancun
Chris Legh (yeah, this Chris from the Gatorade commercial) picked up his second Ironman 70.3 win of the 2008 season with the fastest bike and run splits of the day at a hot and steamy Ironman 70.3 race in Cancun. Read the race report here.

Chris is peaking perfectly to crush it at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships on Nov. 8th in Clearwater, FL.

USAT Elite Championships – Oregon
Sarah Haskins continued her winning ways with a 2nd place finish at the USAT Elite Championships this past weekend. Sarah was second behind fellow Olympian Julie Ertel. Recap here.

I recently completed the Louisville Ironman in Newton shoes which were 3 weeks old. I was able to attain #8 out of 64 women 45-49 and my time was 30 minutes off the Kona time. My legs felt great with no break down or increased pain. My last mile in the Ironman was a 7:53 which I credit to your shoes. I will wear these shoes to all my races, triathlons and next year in Kona when I qualify at Louisville next year. I am interested in finding out where I can get a shirt with logo and another pair of socks. I am telling everyone I know and can’t tell you how many people yelled about the pink Newtons in Louisville.

Thanks again,
Alicia Watson

I love this photo of Craig Alexander, aka Crowie, and his 3-year-old daughter Lucy winning the Muskoka Ironman 70.3 in Canada last weekend. There’s a quick race recap from Craig’s wife Nerida below.

Hi,

I sit here wet and bedraggled but super happy with Craig’s win at the first Muskoka Ironman 70.3 race. The area of Muskoka, Canada and the Deerhurst resort is beautiful, if not a little wet. Hurricane Ike is behind the torrential rain I believe! It was a tough race with lots of long rolling hills on the bike and the run, throw in rain for the bulk of the race as well as an extra 4km on the bike, and Craig’s 4:10 finish looks solid! He had a great run of about 1:13 for the half marathon, but definitely Craig’s highlight was 3-yr-old Lucy waiting in the finish chute to try and out-sprint him, running from 50m out with one finger up in the air! We have some great shots of the finish, which I will try to post on Craig’s website in the next day or two. Richie Cunningham the ever tough fellow Aussie competitor came in second and my memory fails me the rest right now. Sorry!

We fly out of Toronto early tomorrow morning to LA and then onto Kona for a month leading into the Hawaiian Ironman World Championships.

Today’s win was a great way for Craig to head into his final few weeks of training, and he’s really happy with his race performance today and where he’s at right now!

Cheers,
Nerida

Last week I posted Newton athlete Chris McDonald’s race recap from his win at Ironman Wisconsin. It only seems fair that I post his teammate Hillary Biscay’s winning report as well. It was her first Ironman win and she did it wearing her pink Newton Cure Distance shoes (and a pink Newton visor).

The Double Double in Wisconsin: My First Ironman Win

I firmly believe that any measure of “success” that I have experienced in this sport derives from an approach to training and racing unlike most others—methods that most would consider somewhere between unwise and completely insane. It was only fitting, then, that my first ironman resulted from my eighth iron-distance race in 2008, and my second ironman in eight days—not exactly most people’s idea of a prescription for a racing breakthrough. But in my 31st ironman, after five second-place finishes in the past two years (including the past two Ironman Wisconsin races), I finally had my day last Sunday in Madison. Here is how it went down.

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Newton continues to expand around the globe. In the past few weeks, we’ve opened stores in Costa Rica, Singapore and the U.K.

Newton Costa Rica

Aviva Ironman 70.3 Newton booth at a shopping centre in Singapore

TriCentral gets Newton in the U.K.

Newton offers a special discount to the Army Triathlon Club. We’ve received several great testimonials from their team this week.

Hello,

I recently purchased a pair of running shoes from Newton through my Army Tri Club and wanted to pass along how much I enjoy running in them. I’ve tried just about every running shoe out there and didn’t see much difference between the types until I tried Newton. I recently competed in an Ironman Triathlon (Vineman 3rd place AG, 2008) and even after 140.6 miles my feet were still in good shape. Just wanted to pass along my thanks, and to let you know I’ve found my shoe.

Best Regards,

Ken Durham
1SG, USA
Retired

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Here’s a great shot of Milos Kostic, 65, on his way to winning his age group (65-69) at the Queen City Marathon in Regina, Saskatchewan with a time of 3:22. Wow!

Milos makes quite the fashion statement with his green Newton Distance shoes and his black compression socks. Of course, with ripped arms like that, I don’t think anyone was giving him a hard time!