Ripped from the Runner’s World forums here.

“Can someone please help confirm or deny that I have serious issues with running shoes? I went on my first long(er) run in my Newton’s. Previously I had not taken them more than about 4 miles. Well, early V-Day morning I went out for about 6 miles in them and just fell in love all over again. I was swooning with every perfect footstrike… Later that night, while at dinner with my g/f, all I could think about was my Newton’s… sitting at home… alone. They had been so good to me that morning, and I abandoned them for my g/f, then I started to feel guilty. Not about day-dreaming about running shoes while on a date with the g/f, but guilty about leaving my shoes home alone on V-Day. The worst part is I didn’t even bring them any leftovers from dinner. Am I a criminal?”

Newton Athlete and best bread baker in the West, Samantha Sweet, sits happily buried under her pile of Newtons. She claims she was “trying to get them organized for a Newton Running coaching clinic with the local cross country team in Las Vegas” but we think she’s really just a hoarder. You know girls and their shoes…I just thought that had more to do with party shoes than stinky trainers!

Sam, thanks for all you do for us here at Newton, and next time you’re in Boulder, we’ll be sure to have plenty of Febreze on hand.

Dear Danny,

I’ve been a runner since July 2, 1979. This past summer, with my 67th birthday looming on the horizon, I began increasing my mileage, with the objective of making my 1,200 mile annual goal (which I haven’t achieved in more years than I care to talk about). When I began picking up my weekly mileage my knee pain increased in direct proportion to the increase in distance. I found some relief in various inserts but it was always temporary and I was constantly looking for some new and better inserts.

In the midst of one of those searches I stumbled upon newtonrunning.com. I knew after only a couple of minutes of reading and watching that it was what I had been looking for. I checked for dealers, found none in Alabama, but one in Clarksville, TN where my wife and I would be working in the coming week. A call to the store let me know they were out of my size but had my wife’s so I ordered mine off your site and two days later, at the store in Clarksville, we purchased a pair for my wife Christina, and another for our business and running partner Adrienne Wall.

I completed my first run in Newtons the night of September 24th and I’ve not run in anything else since. I’ve thrown out all my inserts along with my Asics, but, most important, my knee pain is gone and both my distance and speed are up. I look forward to every run like a kid anticipating cake and ice cream and for a 67 year old with 30+ year of running behind me, that is saying a lot.

The truth is there aren’t words to convey what I feel. A line from a 60’s pop song states my dilemma, “How do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume?” Thanks to the shoe you designed and built, I’ve now logged over 1,200 miles for the year and I should easily exceed 1,500; next year I’ll go over 2,000, something I’ve not done in over 20 years.

“Thanks” isn’t nearly enough to say to you but it’s the best I can come up with. If I can ever assist you in promoting Newton Running, don’t hesistate to let me know how.

Your to count on,

Bert Carson

Huntsville, Alabama

From Danny Abshire’s inbox:

Danny,
You probably don’t remember me but you helped me out a ton at IM Wisconsin in ‘07 and I’ve been getting PB’s at every race since then. Won’t run in anything else! I just thought you’d like to see Newton represented in Athens, Greece in 2009…the 2,499th anniversary of the running of Pheidippides! My younger brother and I recently completed the the Athens Greece marathon. What makes this story unique is that Steven and I are both 100% Greek and have never been out of the country to see our relatives that live in Athens. It was also my brother Steven’s first marathon. I have run Boston, raced 5 Ironman Triathlons (3:32 pb Ironman marathon thanks to Danny) but was more emotional after this race than ever retracing our Greek heritage roots and history and running the original route of Pheidippides. I ran with my brother every step of the way taking pictures and helping him with nutrition and he finished strong and healthy. We started together and finished together. Next year will be the 2,500th anniversary – an amazing milestone in marathon history. My race report with pics can be found at www.trigreek.blogspot.com.

Thanks for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Chris Mandelaris

Here at Newton Running, we love hearing from our fans. Co-founder Danny Abshire recently received this email from a supporter in Venezuela:

Hello Danny!

You might not remember me since you talked to so many people during the NYC Marathon Expo. I’m the guy who helped you with the Spanish speaking clients. My Name is Luis Bavaresco. I am from Venezuela and I wanted to thank you for treating me so nice. I’m attaching my picture with you!

I first heard about Newton shoes early this year when I talked to a runner friend who bought them during a trip to Orlando, FL. I usually just don’t take the word of some friend so I went to your website, started reading the information and watching the videos and immediately liked the logic behind your theory. I’m a mechanical engineer and it just made sense to me…efficiency! So I decided to try them and the result of this “experiment” plus our training program resulted in PB for the half marathon (2009 Lima, Peru Half Marathon 1:50:36) and Marathon (2009 NYC Marathon 3:59:25). For me that means improving PB by 10 minutes on the Half and 32 minutes on the Full. I might not be an elite athlete but for me this kind of improvement is tremendous and very satisfying and I owe part of this to your theory and your product (for me the Motus). I definitely like people who think out of the box.

I ran NYC marathon wearing our national flag and Newton shoes and I had the best time.

Thanks a lot again and I hope we can stay in touch.

Regards,

Luis Bavaresco R.

Congratulations Luis!

We stumbled upon this fun story of a budding (?) relationship from blogger Lola Runs, who is chronicling her adventures in the world of online dating on her blog. LolaRuns’s second date with ‘BoyGenius’ turns into a discussion of natural running form and Newton Running shoes. Will true love ensue?

LolaRuns goes on a second date with BoyGenius

One day after LolaRuns first date with BoyGenius, BoyGenius text LolaRuns to request a second date. A second date would be lovely LolaRuns responded.

Throughout the week, leading up to the date schedule for Friday, November 13, BoyGenius and LolaRuns text about BoyGenius’s running program and Newton running shoes. Please recall that LolaRuns hasn’t been running because of a pounding ache in her lower back when she attempts to run. When LolaRuns shared this information with BoyGenius during the first date, he immediately peppered her with questions and concluded that it was her running form that was producing the back problems.

Him: “What is your running style? How do you land? Are you a heel striker?”

Me: “I tend to lean back and strike with my heel.”

Him: “It’s your running form. You need Newton running shoes. They have a patented technology with exposed grooves that encoourages mid to forefront running. Let’s walk over to the Potomac Running store and I will show the shoes to you. You have to strike with your midfoot or forefoot if you want to run healthily.”

This is where cute BoyGenius even demonstrated the proper running form while walking on Market Street. LolaRuns was a bit smitten at that point.

The texts during the week followed the same vein with questions about LolaRuns workout – the stairclimber for an hour for the past two months – and the new Newton training shoes that would be available in the next month. BoyGenius also encouraged LolaRuns to check out the Newton web site and watch all the videos – which LolaRuns promptly and attentively reviewed. LolaRuns was sold on the Newtons – and quite possibly on BoyGenius.

Read the rest of LolaRuns’s post here. I don’t know about you, but I’m sure rooting for BoyGenius!

Check out this awesome series of messages sent to our co-founder Danny Abshire, from 71-year-old Gerry Forman of San Diego:

From: Gerry Forman
Sent: Sunday, Apr 5, 2009 at 4:31 PM
To: Danny Abshire
Subject: Thanks

Hi Danny,

I just wanted to tell you how much I’m enjoying my Newton’s that I bought a couple of months ago from you at Nytro. Today, I ran 8 min faster than last year and 3 min faster than my goal, at the Carlsbad 5k. I really owe it to your 20 min tutorial out in front on Nytro that morning, along with watching the video and the great shoes. I had LOTS of questions about the shoes after the race and took several people over to the booth. I was so pumped, that they gave me a Newton visor complimentary! Also, I was impressed with the Woman’s Masters winner representing you guys. And, yesterday, at the IM 70.3 in Oceanside, I was working the finish line and watched Matt come in first with his Newtons! Great representation again. Next year at the Carlsbad 5k my goal is to win my AG.

I”m looking forward to continued success and plan to wear my Newtons proudly and help you spread the word.

Thanks again,
Gerry

From: Gerry Forman
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:31 PM
To: Danny Abshire
Subject: Re: update

Hi Danny,

Here are my results for the year.

1st AG Spring Sprint May San Diego
4th AG SDIT Olympic June San Diego
1st AG Encinitas Sprint July San Diego
2nd AG Solano Beach Sprint July San Diego
1st AG Camp Pendelton Sprint Aug San Diego
1st AG Mission Bay Sprint Oct San Diego
1st AG San Diego Classic (inaugural race USAT) Oct San Diego
“Rookie of the Year” San Diego Tri Club

I’d say that’s a good testimonial for no injuries, a little bit of luck, a small age group and NEWTON’s! I train in the Motion Stability and race in the Distancia S. Love them both. Going to try and qualify for worlds in Budapest next year. Take care Danny, and keep making great products. Hope to see you in San Diego soon…maybe at Nytro again? By the way, I’ve got a great pic of Michelle Jones and me taken after the Spring Sprint. She is such a classy lady.

Gerry

From our inbox…

I had a medial meniscus tear several months ago. Surgery was performed to remove the fragment. I started running several weeks later in my regular shoes. During and after each run I had worsened knee pain and swelling. I saw an advertisement for Newton shoes and bought a pair. From the first day that I ran in them, I have had no pain at all. I am a forefoot runner by nature, and the shoes have been perfect for me. Not only has my knee pain completely resolved, but previous back pain, which I had after running, has also resolved. Running simply feels easier in these shoes. Thanks for the product.

Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Levy

Check out this beautiful artwork sent to us by James Dean Erickson. It’s entitled “Running Sneaks” and  is an 8″ x 10″ oil on linen painting.

About the artist:

James was born in Detroit and grew up Belleville, MI. He attended the University of Virginia (ed note: go Hoos!) where he ran Track and Cross Country and studied Studio Art and Art History. Currently James is enrolled in the MFA program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. More of my the artist’s work can be viewed at www.jamesdeanerickson.com and http://wallblank.com/products/seven.

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.

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