Top Running Shoes of All Time: Another Golden Age?

Sneaker Report's Best 100 Running Sneakers of All Time  got me thinking about the last 40 years of running kicks, that's how long I have been a competitive runner and shoe junky. In an earlier post I concluded that the 1970's running boom produced a wave of innovation and great shoes.

The 1980's through about 2000 was really a dark age as shoes became heavier, more gimmicky, larded up with all

Top Running Shoes of All Time: 1970's-1980's

Sneaker Report has an incredible "museum "of their picks of the top 100 running sneakers of all time. Runblogger one of my favorite sites made his picks: Nike Free 3.0 V1, Brooks Launch, and Saucony Kinvara, all fine, very recent shoes.

I am now in my 40th year of competitive running and depending on decades have worn many of Sneaker Reports picks especially those from the 1970's and early 1980'

Hoka One One Stinson Tarmac: Review

I now have more than 100 miles on the Stinson Tarmacs Hoka One One sent me. An earlier review is here

This 11.8 oz, 5.5 mm heel to toe drop road specific ( smoother mud free trails fine too) is a wonderfully comfortable ride. It fits true to size for me.


I have run in Hoka Mafate (trail) , Bondi (road), and an earlier trail/road Stinson EVO. Hoka continues to evolve staying true to their

Nike+ Sports Watch GPS: synching issue solved by new watch

Back in August my Nike+ Sports Watch GPS stopped synching. I wrote about the issues here. It turned out that a combination of my update to Mac OS X Lion and the Nike Connect software prevented synching. Online posts told me this affected early watches. I bought mine the very first day it was available.

I contacted Nike and even though my watch was long out of warranty and without acknowledging

Nike+Sports Watch GPS: No Longer Synching & I am not alone

At some point a few days after I installed Mac OS X Mountain Lion and the new Nike Connect software my Nike+Sports Watch GPS no longer wants to synch my runs. Watch works and charges fine.

This Facebook page tells me many others are having the same issue. I am hearing early models such as mine may be more susceptible to this issue.

I called Nike and after verifying there were no cracks around

Outdoor Retailer Summer 12: Altra Superior Zero Drop Trail Runner

Altra Running a Utah running company exclusively sells zero drop (heel to toe differential) running shoes. Their success has in my view been due to developing zero drop shoes




that are not all "minimal" or near barefoot, many models are decently cushioned. 
Altra shoes have a "foot shaped" design. The picture below tells that story better than words.


Altra Superior Trail Runner
I usually run

Outdoor Retailer Summer 12: Running Hydration, Nutrition, and Packs

Salomon Soft Flask and Glove


Another very clever Salomon creation in collaboration with Killian Jornet, the great Spanish mountain runner. Killian suffered mightily in the heat at the 2010 Western States 100. He doesn't like to carry a pack or bottles and says he isn't a great hot weather runner. The answer, prototyped at the Western States in 2011, which he won, a soft flask glove combination.

Outdoor Retailer Summer 12: Salomon Sense Family grows for Spring 13

No shoe has had as much recent buzz as the Salomon S-Lab Sense. Designed in collaboration with Killian Jornet,  the Spanish mountain running phenomenon and specifically for his needs, this 6.5 oz wonderfully fitting trail racer that can potentially be run sock less. This racing machine's mid and out sole are not engineered for durability and long life.  While incredibly well cushioned for such a

Outdoor Retailer 12: Skechers GOrun ride test drive

Skechers Gorun ride

Skechers is not exactly a "traditional' athletic shoe company but they have made a serious, well funded, no holds or innovation bared splash with their initial shoes. Meb Keflezighi at age 36 has not only set PR's but was the winner of the Olympic Marathon Trials in Skechers GO Runs again with a PR. So what is different about the Skechers?



skechers GORun ride

I was able

Outdoor Retailer 12 Running Shoes: Pearl Izumi E:Motion Road, Trail, and Tri

Pearl Izumi
PI introduced a brand new line of Road, Trail, and Tri shoes they are calling Project E:Motion with the tag line: Inspired by Efficiency, Designed for Motion (EM).  They will be available Spring 2013.
The midsole design claims to make the heel toe offset dynamic Depending on models: 1-4 mm at heel landing, 4-7.5 mm at transition to toe off, and 1-4 mm depending on model at toe off (

First Review: Hoka One One Stinson Evo TARMAC

I have long been intrigued by Hoka One One's contrarian response to the "minimal" running shoe trend. While all Hokas have a low 4-6" drop and are relatively low weight at 10-11 oz, they all feature massive fairly stiff midsoles relying on a rocker geometry to propel the stride. They have been called clown shoes. Some may laugh but the smooth shock and rock pain free trail and road feel of Hokas

Review: Montrail Bajada Trail Runner

The Montrail Bajada ($110)  is a 10.2 oz, 10 mm heel/toe drop neutral trail runner. I have about 150 miles of UT trails on my pair.
The strengths of this shoe are in the outsole and midsole construction. The minor weaknesses in the upper.

Outsole and Midsole
The hard carbon rubber Gryptonitetm outsole not only grips extremely well on hard or loose terrain but the close spacing of the lugs

Summer Run Apparel Roundup: Patagonia, Rab, Dynafit, North Face

My mileage is up, the UT trails have been calling, and the heat is on. I tend to run hot so I am constantly looking for cool and comfortable. Sadly for my wallet the stuff keeps on getting better and better.

TOPS

Patagonia Gamut Tee ($49) 


Patagonia Gamut Tee


I have long been a fan of Patagonia Silkweight tees and long sleeves. Super comfortable, UV protection, and quick drying. Last year

Tecnica Diablo Max and Inferno X-Lite Trail Runner Reviews

The folks at Tecnica were kind enough to send me a pair of their Diablo Max ($130)  "multi-function" oversized trail runners earlier this year. Tecnica and Hoka One One, the other prominently oversized running shoe have shared technology resources in the past. Both companies use a wide stable platform on the ground, 30mm or more of cushioning and a stiff midsole engineered to create a rolling

2012 SpeedGoat 50K Mountain Race Photos and Videos

This past Saturday Snowbird UT saw ultra legend Karl Meltzer's SpeedGoat 50K. Part of the  SkyRunning World Series this 12,000 vertical foot pain fest attracted top international mountain running stars such as Killian Jornet of Spain and Anna Frost of New Zealand to the Wasatch. Never much one for spectating I decided that I would climb up onto the course to catch the action. I got quite a

OR-Brooks PureFlow Explained, PureFlow 2

The Brooks PureFlow was my favorite running shoe in 2011. I have run over 300 miles in my first pair and find the combination of just right cushion, aligned gait cycle, strike point further forward without effort or mechanical gimmicks, wide toe box, light weight, and durability a pleasure to run in. I now have a pair of the PureGrit trail runner and am finding them equally fine,with the added

OR Discovery-Eucalptex Base Layer: Super Comfort, Natural, Quick Dry, No Smell, No Chemicals

Outdoor Retailer never disappoints. Among all the glitzy big booths and flashy products and technologies small innovative gems hide in the side aisles.



Modrobes eucalyptus based Eucalyptex based layers was one such find. Steven Debus the CEO gave me a long sleeve sample to try.

I gave it the Sam test: multiple days of use for multiple activities. I did a full day of alpine skiing, then under

OR Introduction- Saucony Adventerra GTX 4 mm drop Light Hiker

Most summers my wife and I head out on a 7-10 day trek across the Alps. Last summer we did the Walker's Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. I wore the Salomon XA Pro Mid GTX essentially a higher version of the Salomon XA Pro trail runners. They were a bit light for the rocky terrain.

Saucony introduced the Adventerra GTX at Outdoor Retailer and it immediately caught my eye as a candidate for

OR Introduction- Saucony Kinvara 3 and Kinvara TR

Saucony introduced an update to the popular Kinvara, the Kinvara 3 and a new Kinvara family member, the Kinvara TR or Kinvara trail. Both of these shoes share FlexFilm tm technology in the upper "to secure the foot on the platform throughout the gait cycle." They also share a 4mm heel to toe drop.




Kinvara 3 and TR. Click to see details.



Kinvara 3 
I have had 2 pairs of the Kinvara 1 and

Headed to Outdoor Retailer (OR) Winter Market 2012

Starts Thursday 1/19. Will be reporting on trail and road running, hydration, and nordic ski finds. Should be fun, as always.

If there is a product or up coming product you want me to find out more about please post your questions in the comments below.

While products introduced at OR are for winter 2012-2013 typically the running companies are also displaying spring and summer releases for the