Paul Fireman bought Reebok’s North American sales rights in 1979, then capitalized on the ’80s aerobics craze to build a mega-brand. (Boston Globe/File)

The rumors are true! Newton Running just signed a deal to receive a substantial investment from a Boston-based investment firm, Fireman Capital Partners.

“Combining FCP’s expertise in sales and marketing with our innovative technology will allows us to continue our rapid growth and maintain our position as the leader in natural running footwear and education,” says Newton Running CEO Jerry Lee, who retains a controlling interest in the company.

Read more about this new partnership in this article published in today’s Boston Globe.

IronBrandon.com

Brandon Wood talks triathlon in this February 7, 2011 podcast with Newton Running’s Ian Adamson, and an update on the much-anticipated Newton Running MV2 zero-drop high performance racer.

Listen here: http://www.newtonrunning.com/community/the-news/podcasts

TheConversationHub.com

TheConversationHub.com interviews Paul Huran, owner of Minnesota’s Gear Running Store. Listen here: http://www.newtonrunning.com/community/the-news/podcasts

“Six months ago my wife and I started running. I am no expert at the sport but have been training hard for my first half-marathon next month.”

“When it came time to invest in a good pair of running shoes, our research took us to the oldest running store in Minneapolis - GEAR Running Store. Once there, we were greeted and helped by an amazing staff. As amateur runners, they made us feel welcomed and took the time needed to make sure we had the best shoes possible.”

They’re almost here!

Our updated 2010 Performance Trainers are on the way to us and we’re now taking pre-orders. Both the Gravitas Neutral Performance Trainer and the Motus Stability Performance Trainer feature an updated heel design with a new, highly durable outsole rubber, a new high-rebound midsole, an improved fit in the upper and of course, bright new colors! Order yours today and we’ll get them to you by the end of the month!

Men's Gravitas=Gravity

Women's Gravitas=Gravity

Men's Motus=Motion

Women's Motus=Motion

They’re coming, and we’re getting excited!



TERRA MOMENTUS=MOMENTUM
MEN’S off-road TRAINER
WEIGHT: 11.2 oz
SIZE: 6-13,14,15



TERRA MOMENTUS=MOMENTUM
WOMEN’S off-road TRAINER
WEIGHT: 9.2 oz
SIZE: 5-11

UPPER
• Highly breathable, fast-drying, debris-proof closed mesh
• Abrasion resistant collar lining
• Slip-proof laces with heel-securing double eyelets
• Lightweight flexible molded P.U. support frame
• Reinforced toe cap
• Reflective logo and heel tab
• Gusseted tongue

MIDSOLE
• Tuned Action/Reaction Technology™forefoot and heel
• Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
• Tuned firm high-rebound EVA
• Midfoot/rearfoot support chassis for added stability
• ETC anti-friction, anti-bacterial sockliner
• Accommodates orthotics

OUTSOLE
• High traction and durability rubber compound

Green Features
• 100% recycled laces, webbing, insole topcover
• 100% recycled box, packaging
• 10% recycled outersole rubber

The Momentum is an off-road guidance trainer designed for runners committed to a more efficient natural running style. It provides intelligent control for all foot types on all types of terrain, from groomed bridle paths to technical mountain trails.

Available JULY 2010 MSRP $139

We’re very excited, because this weekend Newton Running is launching its Sir and Lady Isaac Guidance Trainer at Ironman Louisville, Ironman Canada, and the Chicago Triathlon! This picture is from the race expo at Ironman Louisville, where our Newton Running team is having fun spreading the word about the new Guidance Trainer. Although it’s humid here, race conditions are looking good.

Many US retailers will start stocking the Sir and Lady Isaac next week. Newton Running will also be at the Virginia Beach Half Marathon next weekend, Ironman Wisconsin over the following weekend, and the ING Philadelphia Distance Run later in September.  If you’re nearby any of these events, stop on by to check out our new Sir and Lady Isaac Guidance Trainer, or just to say “Hi!”

A film crew from Cities x Design stopped by our offices a couple weeks ago to talk with Danny and Ian about Newton’s design philosophy and shoe technology. Check out the results below.

Cities x Design is a 35-city trans-media research trip across the United States recorded online and later to be released in film, exhibition and print. Cities x Design is laying the groundwork for new thinking that promotes local creativity and design practices that add value to cities. The mission is to connect cities, cultures and creative people in order to demonstrate how investing in design can change perceptions, boost economies and create unique places.

Very cool!

At last week’s TRIFEST 2009, a grand expo of all things Tri, Newton Running was awarded Best of Show for runing. TRIFEST 2009, presented by TriSports.com, invites triathletes from around the world to Tucson, Arizona and hosts a variety of events including a Conference featuring industry-leading speakers, a large consumer  Expo, Affiliated Training Camps and other events like scheduled group rides and runs.

Newton Running has been all over the environmental and packaging blogs this week with a story about our eco-friendly shoebox. The story reached a fever pitch with a re-post on treehugger.com. The shoebox design mentioned in the treehugger story is cool to be sure, but after a lot of research we found out its not very sustainable for us to produce or ship the molded pulp shoe boxes.

We learned that not only were the pulp boxes significantly more expensive to make, but they are produced far from the footwear factory and they would dramatically increase overall freight costs because they do not stack in containers, warehouses or retail stores efficiently.

Newton has instead developed a new rectangular shoebox (pictured above) that is produced from 100% post consumer waste and uses soy-based inks. The new packaging is easy to store and ship, it’s lightweight and it’s easy to break down and recycle. Rather than tissue paper, we’re using recycled cardboard inserts (scraps from the box die-cut) to protect the shoes.

And, my mug is all over the new packaging, so naturally, I love it

We think this new box is a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable solution to packaging and shipping our shoes. The molded pulp boxes are a classic example of the frequent disconnect between design and development. While the pulp design was innovative, ultimately we found that our new packaging has a significantly lower carbon footprint, and this is what we are striving to achieve in everything we do at Newton Running.

For those of you who want to read all the pros and cons of our boxy issue, keep reading.

Molded Pulp Box Cons
-Costly design and engineering required
-High production cost
-Produced far from the footwear factory, increased freight cost to ship between the two
-Tooling cost: multiple rounds of tooling required in development to finalize the design
-Loss of shipping optimization because of odd shape
-Significant increase for warehouse and storage with erected packaging
-Potential for higher rate of damage and warp
-The pulp package uses almost 2-3 times more paper fiber, which will increase overall freight cost for shipping each pair of shoes
-Retail may have challenges stacking boxes in storerooms
-Labels may delaminate due to the peeling from PCW flaking
-PCW is highly porous and will not withstand humid climates or perspiration from the hands of handlers
-Difficult to knock-down and recycle

The benefits of the current packaging:
-100% Post Consumer Waste
-Printable using soy based inks + aqueous (water-based) coating
-Labels will stick well to the side of the box
-Easy to store
-Easy to ship
-Lightweight and uses the minimum footprint and fiber needed to ship a pair of shoes
-Will perform in humid environment
-Produced close to footwear factory
-Minimal tooling
-Minimal design time
-Self-locking, easy to assemble
-Easy to knock-down

In essence we’ve learned through this process there is no sustainable package, only sustainable systems in which packaging lives.

There’s been a rumor floating around that Craig Alexander, aka Crowie, shaves the lugs off his Newton shoes. Now, we do know that Crowie did shave his head, his face, his legs, and most importantly, a bunch of time off his run in Kona, but NOT his shoes. To quell the rumor mill once and for all, here’s Crowie’s response in his own words:

“For a while now I have been aware of a rumor circulating that I in some way alter my Newton Running Shoes.

To be brutally honest, this is insulting to me on every level. What is being suggested is that I would promote a product to my fellow athletes and then not actually use it myself. I feel this is a massive attack on my integrity. The truth of the matter is, I ran in Newton running shoes by choice for three months before I signed on as a sponsored athlete with the company.

And in fact, when I placed second on debut in Kona last year, I was not under contract to Newton Running. I have not trained or raced in anything else since the end of July last year.

The great thing about being a consumer is you get to try products and choose what you like. So anyone considering buying running shoes, I urge you to do exactly what I did, and that is to try everything that is available and then choose the best.

If you look at the post- race photos of me at the finish line last Saturday (click photo above to enlarge), you will notice that my shoes are in no way altered from their intended state. Also, the photos of my little post-race celebration, which I heard has also been misinterpreted, will show on close inspection that nothing has been done to the shoes.

Just to clarify, I took my shoes off at the finish line to beat out the flames because they were ” smokin’ hot” after having just run a 2:45 marathon.

If in the future, anyone out there feels the need to make an ill-informed opinion about any of my sponsorships, please feel free to contact me before you make a total and utter fool out of yourself. All you are actually doing is bringing myself and a great product and company into disrepute. Have some backbone and question my integrity in person rather than through an anonymous chat site.

The people starting these rumors need to pull their heads in. You are out there intentionally spreading lies and mis-truths. I’m not sure what your agenda is, but you should have a good look at your own motives and integrity.”

Craig Alexander is the 2008 Ironman World Champion.

Now, to be clear, Newton’s head designers mad scientists, Danny Abshire and Ian Adamson, have and will continue to work with our pro athletes to experiment with Newton’s shoes, ‘tuning’ the technology to test new innovations. This is a critical component of Newton’s design process; real world tests with the world’s best athletes to continue to push the envelope of shoe technology.

Stay tuned here for an upcoming preview of Newton’s spring ’09 shoes, featuring some really cool new innovations!