Newton co-founder and CEO Jerry Lee with Jenny Budget whom he ran into at the open water swim at Dachet in the UK. Jenny qualified for Kona in Newtons after trying for 9 years. Congrats on the huge accomplishment Jenny!

Thwap, hu, thwap, hu, thwap, hu. At one time, the rhythmic pounding of a run created a hypnotic trance. The foot-strike created a dependable cadence to measure strength and speed. This beat carried me through 20 years of running. Last weekend 20 years of thwap, hu, thwap, hu, thwap, hu were silenced.

Every Islamic faithful makes a pilgrimage to Mecca. The same holds true for endurance athletes—only our Mecca is Boulder, Colorado. Muslims must visit the Holy Mosque, and athletes must patron the Newton Running Lab. I had the opportunity to visit the Newton Running Lab after winning a sweepstakes. (It pays to follow @sirisaac, which alerted me that the contest was going on.) Along with the trip, I received a pair of Newton running shoes and valuable training with Danny Abshire, the brains behind the Newton operations.

When I arrived at the Newton Running Lab, Danny and his wife Jennifer offered a very warm welcome and went right to work. Danny evaluated my feet and stride. I over-pronate, strike with my toe, and my strides are too long. Danny and Jennifer explained the Newton Running Shoe’s ability to correct your foot position and stride. With the right shoe and a lesson in proper running form, they could fix me right up.

I slipped on my new Newtons and immediately noticed a dramatic difference in my stride. I’ve purchased many shoes that have claimed to improve speed, comfort, and form but the Newton was the first shoe to immediately deliver. Danny leads a form clinic every Saturday morning, and as we started out he gave me instructions such as “land on the middle part of your foot,” “pull your arms back,” and “lift don’t push”. Shouldn’t running be the most natural movement? Yes, but over the years our brains and fancy running shoes have trained our bodies to run unnaturally. The Newton pulls from Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity and teaches the individual to harness that “free speed” which naturally exists.

As we completed the initial form instruction, Danny decided that my feet needed a little more correction. My feet were measured for orthotics and soon I was ready to hit the road again. Danny and I headed out on a run through Boulder. Again he instructed me to quicken my cadence, lower my arms, and make sure my foot strikes the ground quietly.

“Quiet foot strike?” I asked. I’m reliant on the sound of my feet to carry me through my run. Danny explained, “Yes, you shouldn’t hear your feet hitting the ground.” And so I continued, conscious of the pounding and scraping of the pavement. Very quickly I found that the joint and foot pain I had become accustomed to was absent. There was no heavy breathing, which was monumental considering the altitude I was adjusting to. For the first time in many years, I was enjoying a relaxed, pain-free run.

After our run I had the opportunity to see the Newton offices and learn how a shoe moves from conception to completion. Danny is working on a book that focuses on the biomechanics of running and on his desk were the copious notes from many hours of research. The afternoon concluded with a quick discussion of Craig Alexander, 2-time Ironman World Champion and proud Newton shoe proponent. Craig has worn the Newton shoe for several years and happens to be my athletic idol. Jennifer handed me a Craig Alexander autographed Newton running hat which now sits on my desk, never to be worn, only admired.

Thinking back on the weekend, I recall the sight of the Flatirons, the numerous athletes on bike and foot, and that great training run with Danny.  In the midst of silent foot strike and relaxed breath Danny said “This is my religion”.  I agree, this is my religion, and now this is my peace.

Forty-five year old Dave Graves has Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease and is headed out of town to run the Boston Marathon on April 19th.  Dave’s Parkinson’s manifests itself with conditions like constant pain, fatigue, muscle spasms, numbness and some loss of muscle control, more so on his left side than his right.  His speech is slower and quieter these days too, but if you didn’t know Dave before his diagnosis in August of 2008, you wouldn’t necessarily notice any of these conditions or guess that he’s ill. Dave would probably even hate the very reference that he’s ill.  Dave is squeezing every healthy moment and activity he can out of his busy life these days – and he’s making an impact along the way.

Thanks to Dr. Monique Giroux at Evergreen Hospital’s Parkinson’s Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, Dave’s diagnosis was made in an atypically short period of time—only one month.  An actively-competing distance runner and marathoner, he focuses his treatment around staying active and running. He began a drug regimen that relieved some of the symptoms, but the disease continued to progress making running nearly impossible.  Further consultation with Dr. Giroux led Dave to choose a more aggressive drug regimen with potentially more serious side effects.  The result has Dave running longer and more comfortably and is giving him the ability to run in Boston next weekend.

Unable to meet the qualifying time for standard entry in the race, Dave petitioned the Boston Athletic Association to allow him to compete as a “Mobility-Impaired” athlete.  In October of 2009, his wife Wendy (an Ironman and Boston qualifying marathon runner) received word from the Director that he was in.

As with most inspirational journeys, many people, circumstances, and factors that have contributed to Dave’s Boston experience.  One factor takes the form of a running shoe—Newton Shoes.  There’s something in the toe box and design of the Newton shoes that has eliminated a cramping left foot that was keeping Dave from running longer distances.  Whether or not the good folks at Newton knew they were helping a neurologically-impaired marathoner is uncertain, but Dave is grateful.  He’s also grateful to have met and networked with numerous other Parkinson’s patients like former professional cyclist, Davis Phinney.  They share the experience that hard exercise seems to slow the progression of the disease, and Dave will embrace that experience long into the future.

There will be no time goal for Dave at Boston. He’s choosing to enjoy the experience and wait to see how the day unfolds. Too many variables make Dave’s performance impossible to predict.  But rest assured Dave’s wife, nephew, friends, doctor, running team, and fellow Parkinson’s patients will all be enthusiastically cheering him on.  GO DAVE!

You can follow Dave Graves’ progress at the Boston Marathon through the athlete tracking system on www.bostonmarathon.org. His race number is 22163. Follow Wendy too!  Her number: 19139

Danny-

How does it feel to race the 50 degree banked turns at Talledega Superspeedway three abreast at over 200 miles an hour in a stock car? Not a clue. How does it feel to race a half marathon at Talladega Superspeedway with 700 of my now best friends? Wow! Racing on the track, above the track, through the grandstands, and around the grounds was quite a treat at the Talladega Half Marathon April 11, 2010.

My Newton campaign is completing the first year with space for my post-race hardware becoming an issue. Taking a minute per mile off my times from 9, 10, and 13 miles; and with 2-3 minutes coming off the total 5 km and 10 km times has made running fun again. Training distances are up and injury is virtually nonexistent. I never expected this type of results at 59 years old, especially after 45 years of racing experience. Not getting worse had been the challenge over the past 10 years.

Proud to part of the tribe.

Dave Black
Gainesville, Florida
photos by L Black Photography

“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.

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

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

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!

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!