You might ask, “Why is the Natural Running Center writing about a shoe that is anything but minimalist. The beefy-sole HOKA One One is as unnatural as a genetically modified Flavr Savr tomato. Because the shoe lacks an outsized, crash-pad heel like your garden-variety ASICS, what exactly do you call the lightweight yet zero-drop HOKA…
Category: News
The Natural, Minimalist Life: Going Off the Grid with Dr. Phil Maffetone
Minimalism is much more than good-form running in lightweight, flat-sole, flexible footwear. Minimalism is found in music (Philip Glass, John Cage), literature (Raymond Carver), and architecture (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe). Minimalism’s unifying feature or motto is “less is more.” To those looking to lead a minimalist lifestyle, it means knowing how to de-clutter and…
Minimalist Shoe Review: Puma FAAS 100 R Zero-Drop Racer
by Nick Pang. When Puma introduced the Mobium Elite earlier this year, it started to move into the minimalist running shoes category. The FAAS collection has been around for a while and Puma is filling in the opposite end of its spectrum with lightweight and lightly cushioned shoes. Now, the most minimal shoe in the…
Running Free: From San Quentin Death Row to Running Every Day in His Nike Frees
by Bill Katovsky. I was mountain biking home one recent afternoon with 30 to 40 pounds of groceries and a load of clean laundry. It was hot and I felt sleepy and tired, so I decided to take an extended rest in the shade. I sought out my favorite large moss-covered rock at the end…
The Media Want You to Believe that Barefoot Running is Bad for You!
The mainstream media’s love affair with barefoot running was short-lived. Coinciding with the success of Born to Run, when chronically injured runners began kicking off their coffin-like kicks, and going barefoot or minimalist instead, there were a number of enthusiastic articles and books about the most significant development in running shoes since Nike’s Waffle Trainer….
Documentary on Mountain Runner Anton Krupicka; and Freedom’s Run
I am looking forward to seeing the new documentary, “In The High Country”, which is the result of a yearlong collaboration between mountain runner Anton Krupicka and filmmaker Joel Wolpert. The 30-minute film will be shown in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on Friday, October 11, and the screening will be held at the historic Shepherdstown Opera…
Early Look at New Running Shoes from Summer Outdoor Retailer Show
Summer Outdoor Retailer 2013 trade show in Salt Lake City just finished and most shoe companies have announced their Spring 2014 models. Some of these models won’t be available until December or January at the earliest with some as late as March. However, some will be available in a few weeks. We will get a definite…
“Naturally Respect Your Feet”: Interview with Podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan
Portland, Oregon-based Podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan is a rarity in his profession. He considers conventional treatment such as orthotics and surgery as a final-resort option for his patients. Instead, he favors a more natural, non-invasive approach that, as he states in the following interview with the Natural Running Center, “respects the inherent strength and integrity…
“Posing” the Question of Proper Running Form: Natural Running vs. Pose Method
Natural running is not some ideal, archetypal running form; it’s what happens when you let your own body figure out what works best for you when you minimize interference between the foot and the ground. It’s what happens when you let your own muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones do all or most of the work….
The Split-Toe Running Shoe: Topo Athletic RR Racing Shoe Reviewed
by Nick Pang, The long awaited product launch of Tony Post’s (ex-CEO of Vibram FiveFingers) new company, Topo Athletic, which was previewed last April, is finally here. Topo Athletic called their approach to design, ‘innate amplification‘. They are in awe of the genius of human biomechanics, and to that they respectfully bring their modern constructions, materials and designs…
Classic Races From the Past: Roger Bannister vs. John Landy at the 1954 Commonwealth Games Mile
The match-up between these two great distance runners at the 1954 Commonwealth Games was billed by the press as both the “Mile of the Century” and “Miracle Mile.” Earlier in the year, Dr. Roger Bannister clocked the world’s very first sub-four minute mile — and it was on a cinder track in Oxford, England! At…
VIVOBAREFOOT ONE Shoe Review
by Nick Pang. The VB ONE is VIVOBAREFOOT’s ultimate on-road or in-gym barefoot performance shoe. The uppers feature a lightweight and breathable hex mesh with V Web lamination for stitch-less lateral support. It is also lined with a soft-fit performance lining containing environmentally friendly Aegis to provide active moisture management, anti-stink, and a pure barefoot…
Skechers GObionic Trail Running Shoe Review
by Nick Pang, NRC shoe review editor. Building on the success and experience with the original GObionic road running shoe, Skechers has created another blockbuster with the launch of its GObionic Trail running shoe. I have worn my original GObionic road shoe for a lot of my trail running mileage but small debris keep getting lodged…
Casting Doubt on New Study Questioning Benefits of Barefoot-Style Running
So what should we make of the latest footwear study that suggests that barefoot-style running isn’t really the best or most economical? With it attention-getting headline, “Is Barefoot-Style Running Best? New Studies Cast Doubt,” New York Times health and fitness writer Gretchen Reynolds recently pounced on a report that was published last month in The…
Under Armour’s Toxic Six: New “Natural Collection” of Minimalist Running Shoes
NRC Shoe Editor Nick Pang reports: Under Armour continue its move into natural running motion with the launch of its “natural collection” of minimalist running shoes: Toxic Six. The collection offers the athlete an extension of the foot to deliver a superior, natural, protective ride. The ultra-flexible, anatomical Micro G midsole helps your foot move naturally. A glove-like…
Altra Zero Drop The ONE
Altra Zero Drop The ONE is a fast, light, and slightly cushioned do-it-all performance shoe that launched recently. But it is also one of the most anticipated shoe on my 2013 list as I wanted to see something between the Altra Instinct 1.5 and Altra Adam. –Nick Pang, NRC shoe editor From Altra’s literature, “From…
Upcoming Courses and Clinics on Running
NRC readers, If you are near a military base several of our military courses are open to the public. • Oct 5-6 School of Running CME Boulder http://www.active.com/running-conference/boulder-co/newton-running-cme-and-coach-level-2-oct-5-6-2013
Merrell’s M-Connect Series of Running Shoes for Those Transitioning to Minimalism
by Nick Pang. Merrell recently launched its new M-Connect series of running shoes. It is a complete collection featuring running, training, and hiking shoes in addition to apparel. They have everything for the beginning transitioning runner to the advanced minimalist runner. This is Merrell’s biggest introduction to date and is a complete solution addressing the…
Running as Destiny for New U.S. 5,000 Meter Indoor Record-holder
I want to share an inspiring piece about Lopez Lomong, a South Sudanese-born American track and field star and his new U.S. 5,000 meter indoor record, that was sent to me from my friend Phil Wharton. Phil and his father Jim have been innovators in the evaluation and retraining of runners for injury prevention and…
Top 10 Most-Anticipated Minimalist Trail Running Shoes of 2013
by Nick Pang. Just like the minimalist road running shoes of 2013, these trail shoes will be lower to the ground at 6mm or less, lightweight, moderate cushioning, and some protection. Footwear manufacturers like Merrell, New Balance, and Inov-8 are coming out with shoes for the full minimal shoes spectrum – from the beginner to the…
Video: Training for a Sub-4 Mile
In this new, superbly crafted video, we watch West Virginia High School Senior Jacob Burcham train for a sub-4 mile. If Burcham succeeds in his quest, he joins only a handful of other U.S. teen runners. Running Times correspondent and filmmaker Joel Wolpert follows Burcham as he prepares for his final season of high school…
Legs, Legs, Legs
The Running Event in Austin: Minimalism is Still Hot!
Huge Congrats to two Natural Running Center’s Partner Stores –Natural Strides Running and Elite Feet –who were selected as one of “The 50 Best Running Stores in America” at The Running Event in Austin, Texas– which is a fast-growing expo and meeting-and-teaching ground for running store owners and their employees. Best of all, it’s where…
Video: Spark Running Store
We thought readers would like to watch this well-made promotional video for Spark Running, an independent specialty running store in Severna Park, Maryland, which is about 10-20 minutes from Annapolis, and 30-45 minutes from Washington,D.C. Spark Running, which is just over a year old, is also a Natural Running Center partner store– and offers customers…
Can Running Kill You?
More people are running in marathons and half-marathons than ever before. So it’s always interesting to read in the press the latest medical study that found that running too many miles over one’s lifetime could be dangerous for the heart and lead to an early death. That’s bad news for those of us addicted to…