Selling: Road Test
Running naturally
Following SGB Sports’trip to listen to Newton Running informing the trade to the benefits of minimal, natural running (see SGB Sports March), Andy Morfey slips on a few pairs to road test their credentials.
A
fter hearing a lot of positive reviews from friends, I decided to give Newton Running shoes a go to see how they stood up against others on the market.
The first thing to note is that they are a minimalist running shoe, so are designed to be extremely light and extremely comfortable but still feel like they are made to a high standard with lots of colours and details.
One of the first pairs I donned were Sir Isaacs. These came in a quite quiet colour set in white silver and bright orange. These shoes are aimed to guide running form and I must say they worked as I regularly heel strike in other barefoot running shoes but in the Newton’s I didn’t do it
once. They are also very supportive and the sole is very bouncy, which I like. The breathable mesh upper is also nice to run in as your feet don’t get too hot which I sometimes have a problem with. Next up were the Newton Running Gravitas, which were far more striking out of the box in bright cyan and red with an orange and yellow sole with raised details that form the basis of the company’s action/reaction technology. The colours didn’t put me off though and when I tried them on they felt so good I couldn’t help but try and run around my kitchen to see how the actuator lugs on the bottom of the shoe worked.
Newton says the technology absorbs and then returns energy back to the runner by applying Sir Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion in the design: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."
When your midfoot/forefoot lands on the ground, the four external actuator lugs are pressed into hollow chambers inside the shoe's midsole via an elastic membrane, absorbing shock. As the foot levers inside the shoe, the lugs release their stored energy and propel the wearer forward through a burst of energetic return. The best way I can describe them is that they roll your foot forward pushing you off after each step.
I also tried Newton’s Terra Momentus trail running shoe. Looking similar to dinosaur skin I did raise a smile as I opened the box. I went for a run in my local park as I know a few exciting trails down there and I really wanted to put these through their paces.
The grip was fantastic and when trail running I have a habit of rolling my ankle on stones but the Terras filled me with confidence as they were so supportive and felt very different to the other Newtons I had worn.
I didn’t get to put the Newton Running Women’s Distance shoes to the test though as I
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thought it best to let a female running friend put them through their paces.
Her reaction to the hot pink colourway was delight but she was also impressed with the way they helped improve her run times. She said they made her feel very confident in her running style and she ran her first sub-hour 10k wearing them, with an improved strike pattern driving her forward.
All in all the entire range of Newton shoes were brilliant and I love the fun colourways. I get fed up with black and white trainers but these give you real personality and make a lot of people smile especially me when I’m wearing them.
Newton Running technical adviser Ian Adamson
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