Barefoot Running Leads to New Shoe Design
Apr 14th, 2010 by admin
Today more and more physiotherapists recommend barefoot running to marathon and long distance runners with repetitive injuries. These injuries manifest as stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis and shin splints.
Debate has raged for decades over the proper running shoe. Some say the shoe should be wide and cushioned while others believe it should look like a sock. The wide shoe would have gel packs or plastic absorbers to combat injuries, while the sock-like shoe should have no more than a thin cover to protect the foot from ground hazards.
New Balance takes its commitment to runners seriously and is researching the effects of barefoot running. In Lawrence, Mass, at the New Balance running shoe research and development lab, the MTS Mini Bionix II – an enormous hydraulic piston, pounds into the soles of a test shoe. It applies blunt force every 30 seconds to the sole of the footwear. Cameras further down the hall capture the impact of a shoe on the track while others capture a runner on a treadmill throwing pictures up on a wall of his feet in real time.
The New Balance research shows 80 percent of shoe wearers run with a heel-to-toe stride, 20 percent run with a mid-foot strike, which means the heel and the forefoot strike the ground at the same time. 45 percent of faster runners run a heel-to-toe gait step. Barefoot runners tend to strike the foot first on the ball or forefront of the foot.
Additionally, the research shows that a runner striking the ground with the heel first collides with the ground with a force about 1½ times his body weight. This spike in force is believed to be the cause of the repetitive injuries. Conversely, when a runner hits the ground with a forefoot strike, the impact force moves smoothly and evenly through the foot.
Therefore, New Balance has unveiled a new line of lighter, less intrusive footwear. The new line was launched at a summit in Austin, Texas for women competing in the Zooma Austin Half Marathon in March, 2010.
The new line of footwear is sleek, light and incorporates the principles of barefoot running with natural cushioning. New Balance has removed the internal foot system, redesigned the sole in strike-zone contact and provided cushioning to support the natural function of the leg and foot movement.
Keep your eyes peeled for this New Balance line to be available in stores later this year.
