Chris Legh continues to solidify his reputation triathlon’s “comeback kid” and one of the sport’s most indomitable spirits.  This weekend he continued down the comeback trail with an impressive 2nd place finish at the Ironman 70.3 Augusta.

Many of you probably knows Chris from his dramatic collapse at the 1997 Ironman Worlds, made famous in this popular Gatorade commercial.  What many people don’t know is that was just the first of three incredible setbacks for Chris in the past 10 years.

This is from a recent interview with Chris on Slowtwitch.com

Chris Legh made one of the sport’s great comebacks when he recovered from a dehydration-induced bowel shutdown at Ironman Hawaii in 1997. After surgeons cut out 12 inches of his colon, Legh was back the very next year in an epic duel with Peter Reid at Ironman Australia, losing a finish line sprint. Legh also engaged Reid in another classic duel at Ironman Australia the very next year, and turned the trick at to win Ironman California in 2000.

Things went well for one of the most talented men in the sport until 2003, when Legh faced a second showdown with his body. Racing exposed a congenital defect – a tiny hole in the wall of his heart — which struck around the 5 hour mark of a triathlon. After carefully adapting his hydration and nutrition, Legh managed to finesse his way around the problem with an amazing win at Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2004 — headlined by a famous Gatorade ad. But this second comeback was not to last. For the next two years, the syndrome shut him down like clockwork at 120km into an Ironman bike.

Finally, the new Ironman 70.3 series provided a proper competitive outlet for one of the most talented men in triathlon history. In three years, Legh scored nine Ironman 70.3 wins. The only thing lacking was a podium solution for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship at Clearwater. Legh got a 4th there and was coming closer in training to the strategy – until he was faced with a third medical challenge late last year. An inflamed area around his pubic bone put one of the swiftest legs in the game out of action for eight months.

A week ago (interviewed on August 28), Legh faced his first test in eight months at the Timberman 70.3. His 5th place finish was not to his standards – 10 minutes 34 seconds behind Andy Potts. His swim was 5 minutes back of Potts. His 2:12:45 bike was better, 2:40 behind Potts. And his run, usually his ace in the hole but now the most susceptible to his injury, was a third-best 1:19:10, 3 minutes behind Potts.

Given he had only had six weeks of training, not a bad start to another comeback. Legh spoke to Slowtwitch as he was planning the rest of his 2009 campaign.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Chris is local Boulder superstar and a terrific friend to Newton. We’re incredibly proud of his season so far this year and wish him the best as he sets his sights on the Ironman 70.3 Championships in Clearwater on Nov. 14.

This morning we received a very in-depth Newton shoe review from Dr. Christopher Segler, a renowned podiatrist, foot surgeon and Iromnan finisher based in Chattanooga.

The full review is posted below, but for the time-challenged, here’s his overall impression:

“I can say that for me personally, I believe Newton Gravity Trainers are proving to be a valuable training tool and are changing the way I run for the better. As an award-winning podiatrist and foot surgeon caring for athletes, I would recommended Newtons to any of my patients who have had a history of injury, or simply hope to run more efficiently.  It seems the greatest benefit is, of course, for those demanding efficiency such as marathoners and Ironman triathletes.”

Newton Running Shoe Review
by Dr. Christopher Segler

Why I Decided to Write This Review
There are really two reasons I decided to write this review of Newton Gravity Trainer Running shoes.  The first has to do with the fact that I am an award-winning foot surgeon and podiatrist who has chosen to limit my practice to elite, competitive and recreational athletes. For this reason, I get questions about running shoes from a lot of runners.  I am frequently asked about “new trends in barefoot running” as well as about shoes like Newtons that reportedly create more of a barefoot-type running experience. I always prefer to answer such questions on the basis of scientific theory as well as personal experience.

The second reason is that I am an age-group Ironman triathlete who has aspirations of qualifying for Kona one day. So I have a very personal interest in discovering any and every way to increase my own biomechanical efficiency, decrease my risk of injury, and run faster.  Newtons (in theory) should to do all three, so I thought I should give them a try.

(more…)

Here’s the latest from the Philadelphia ING Distance Race Expo….

Pictured is Yo Schmidt, Newton’s expo director, along with a Newton customer (sorry didn’t get his name) and Josh Cox.  Josh is in town to run the race as a workout in the middle of a 140-mile week.  Of course, he may still bang out a 1:05 in the half marathon!  Josh is working toward his peak for the season later in the year.  Josh’s training partner Ryan Hall, who is getting ready for the NYC Marathon on November 1, is also racing here in Philadelphia.  Will we see a Half Marathon American Record on Sunday, Ryan? Sure hope so…

A small group of Newton Running employees will be lining up Sunday to race as well.

UPDATE : As predicted, Ryan Hall won the race. Josh Cox ran a 1:05 for 6th place (not bad for a workout run). Newton pres Stephen Gartside ran an impressive 1:22:05 and our intern Anna Mosely finished in 1:31.  Race report here.

We got this cool photo from our Berlin Marathon expo over the weekend.

Kathrin Wessel showing off her new pair of Newton Motion Trainers.

Kathrin is a German national running hero. She finished third in the 1987 World Championships in the 10,000 meter race and still holds the German record with her 31:03 minute time. Just five years ago she finished third in the Berlin Marathon as well.

As for this year’s Berlin marathon, Haile Gebrselassie won in 2:06:08, missing his own world record of 2:03:59 after slowing considerably during the final seven kilometres. Story here.

Ian Adamson, our full-time director of product development and part-time race director extraordinaire, just reminded us next weekend is the 24 Hours of Triathlon here in Boulder. This race is super fun and an awesome test of endurance. There’s a category for just about everyone – from solo to teams of 4+ people.

Sign up here.

If you need added incentive:

ALL ENTRANTS RECEIVE
• FREE Newton Running Shoes with donation toe RACC
• $40 technical running top
• $20 technical running cap
• $16 sport towel
• Swim cap
• Finisher medal
• Sponsor sample bag

Ian is also looking for volunteers:
• Volunteer for the whole race and get a pair of award winning Zeal Sunglasses.
• Meet fun, energetic and great people.
• Receive a free tech shirt, tech hat and sport towel ($76 value)
• Take part in a unique one of a kind event.
• Market your club or organization for free for 24 hours.
• Get involved in your community.
• Help others in reach their goals.
• Get a discount on Newton Running shoes.
• Beats 8 hours at the office!

If you live in the mid-Atlantic, this is a race you should really check out – the inaugural Freedom’s Run in Shepardstown, WV on Saturday, Oct. 3. The marathon course winds through four national parks (that’s gotta be a first) and there’s also a half marathon, a 10K and 5K. Newton Running is a proud sponsor of this race that seeks to promote healthy living and the incredible heritage of the area.

Here’s a short video about the race.

Our friend and fellow natural running fanatic, Dr. Marc Cucuzzella, is the race director. He’s a major proponent of Chi Running one of the country’s foremost experts on running biomechanics and proper running form.

Check out this video of Dr. Mark using a Razor Scooter to demonstrate proper running form at a local fun run. Pretty cool!

It was a big weekend for Team Newton athletes with races across the globe. We’ll be posting race results and recaps throughout the day, but let’s start with one of the longest races of the weekend…

Newton Running Lab manager Paul South and Newton president Stephen Gartside were part of a 10-person team for the 12th annual Colorado Relay.  The “Robe Runners” took first place overall in the 170-mile relay race from Georgetown to Carbondale with a time of 19 hours and 35 minutes.

Team Robe Runners before the race- Paul in green, Stephen in the yellow visor

And Team Robe Runners after 170-miles. Still smilin’!

Over the weekend, our Newton Running Vice President of Administration, Anne Klein, on the left, and Susan, on the right, represent Newton Running in Rio de Janeiro at the Rio de Janeiro International Half Marathon.  Way to go, girls!