Newton motion trainers

i,ve decided to jump off the fence about heel striking and forefoot running. Researched and read everthing out there on Newton Trainers, Unfortunatly mostly Newtons own bloggs/forums. Gone and spent what i consider to be huge amount £120 on the Newton motion 2009 trainers, but thats still a fraction of what a pair of Laboutons heels would cost, tee he.

I,ve always been a heel striker because, thats how i was told to run by my P.E. teacher, daft isn't it being told how to run because if a hungry tiger was after you, you certaintly wouldn,t hang around for some to tell you how run, it,s instinctive, but i do wounder if my P.E. teacher hadn,t been so intent on yelling rember JT heel to toewould my style have been any different ? ? ?

 Newton trainers has given me the option to explore a whole new running style and an interest on improving my form, i,m still in the transition period of alternating between my support nike,s and the Newtons, all the hype is right ,i.m running for longer with less fituge and making some new PB,s. My nike,s will soon be used for walks and scruffing about in and my Newtons will be in pride of place.

There seems to be very few reviews on this product,so i hope this helps any one on that fence, two gripe's,the laces are short and not's let forget the price .

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Comments

  • Your PE teacher taught you to run by chasing you with a tiger? What school did you go to.  image

    I can't quite stretch to a pair of Newtons just to see if they help me run better (when a pair of trainers only last 500 miles).

    Why not keep posting on if/how they improve your running, there prob a few people interested but put off by the price.

    (goes off to look up chance of borrowing tiger or other big cat from zoo to aid mara training)

  • Flat Footed wrote (see

    I can't quite stretch to a pair of Newtons just to see if they help me run better (when a pair of trainers only last 500 miles).


    Trainers only last 500 miles if you rely on the cushioning to save you from impact damage caused by heel striking!

    If you land fore foot your body acts as a shock absorber and therefore the shoes cushioning is not as important, I run in racing flats with 1000+ miles on and the cushioning has completely collapsed/compressed and it makes no difference. 

  • I know other forumites have changed there running style but isn't this like learning to walk on your hands. I've run one way for 32 years and it seems a bit late to change it. OR am i missing the point of these trainers that they will change the way i run without me having to??
  • FF, you will have to change the way you run if you're to get on with Newtons. There was another thread on them a while back where forumites had mixed views, unsurprisingly.

    M's right though, I run in a combination of shoes from racing flats to vibram five fingers and there's zero cushioning in them.

    My favourite thing is leaving proper footprints in mud when I run in my fivefingers. Sad, I know!

  • I'd love some fivefingers, but I've enough shoes to last me for years and they aren't cheap either, I do run in those neoprene and rubber water shoe things as well occasionally.
  • To FF, it was a rough school, old style comp, where the tigers were the least of your problems. 

     Back to the Newtons, i'm still improving on my pace, no blisters or calf tenderness. 

  • I bought Newtons in the summer and used them for a week or two of three to five mile runs before building up to a 10 miler in them.

    I did find my calfs were hurting a bit more than normal - not surprisingly I guess - and then I used them for a half marathon. I was much faster than I thought I should have been for my fitness levels - so I think theres something in it.

    Then I hurt myself in them - I think I had the laces tied too tight and with all the forefoot striking - that gave me so much pain I thought it was a stress fracture - but it was a tendon thing. Stopped me from running for 2 weeks or more - so I havent gone back to them yet.
  •  To cougie

    Thanks for your insight.

    Like you i think there is something defo in it. Waiting for the bubble to burst, cause at the momement just feels to good to be true.

    Hope you get back to the beaten track soon.

  • Thanks ! I think it could be the new style you have to use and possibly the fact that you have paid a bomb for them so they better be fast !
  • cougie wrote (see)
    I bought Newtons in the summer and used them for a week or two of three to five mile runs before building up to a 10 miler in them. I did find my calfs were hurting a bit more than normal - not surprisingly I guess - and then I used them for a half marathon. I was much faster than I thought I should have been for my fitness levels - so I think theres something in it. Then I hurt myself in them - I think I had the laces tied too tight and with all the forefoot striking - that gave me so much pain I thought it was a stress fracture - but it was a tendon thing. Stopped me from running for 2 weeks or more - so I havent gone back to them yet.
    out of interest what tendon was it?  peroneal?
  • Hi JD - someone is up early today ! image

    It was a tendon across the front of the foot - seemed to be where the laces where ? To be honest I think it could well have been something to do with the laces being too tight and with concentrating on landing on the forefoot - they cut in a bit - only took me 5k to injure it and then I couldnt run on it at all and even walking was a b*gger.

    Seems OK now though - but I may get elastic laces for them ?
  • long night last night!

    i know the pose crew love having elastic laces in their NB150s so it may well be worth it.  down part is i found my feet moved around more so more chance of blisters or losing toenails.

  • Poor you ! It does get better though ! Hang in there !

    I think I should be OK with the elastic laces - only ever lost one toenail and I never blister. Exception being this year in Zurich where I did ? No idea why ! The layers of skin are still coming off.

    Sorry - too much info ! image
  • I have 2 pairs of Newtons - different sizes as I'm a between size. I like the slighly smaller size better than the slightly larger size.

    Actually, that's a lie, I bought one pair in my normal running shoe size - 40, and one pair a size down. Newtons womens shoes are made broad in the forefoot and narrow in the heel. As I have a very broad forefoot I'm probably wearing running shoes a size too large. The Newtons fit my feet better than any other shoe I have tried.

    I read everything I could find on Newtons before buying. I've found that all the sales pitch etc is correct. I enjoy running in my Newtons. I have run up to 20 miles in them and have never suffered a problem.

    Running on my forefoot, I am faster, I find hills easier both up and down. When tired I concentrate more on form and find that I can run faster when I do this. rather than getting sluggish and dragging my heels I actually put that spring back into my step.

    I do miss striding out on my heels, just stretching my legs. I also find it very hard to visualise myself running on my forefoot, which I do as I'm stuck on a bus for 4 hrs a day. I always felt this helped with running.

  •   Hi all,

    i've just bought a pair of Newton Gravity shoes and i thought i'd add my two penneth worth!

     I wore them last night for the first time,they are very light and comfortable but a bit strange to walk in or to run at a slow pace. I ran two miles and it felt quicker but mainly felt like i wasn't having to put much effort in.There isn't much cushioning so i'll let you know how i get on when i've done a longer run.I see what they mean about building up the mileage,my calves feel like they've had real workout this morning!

    I'll keep you posted as to how i get on but at the moment i like them.Also i bought them for £102 with free delivery at www.primera-bournemouth.co.uk  they are the 2008 model so the colours are a bit mental but i couldn't find them any cheaper anywhere.

     Hope this helps...

  • I wrote in praise of my Newton motion shoes on another thread... but that thread was soon hijacked by folk slagging them off - despite the small but significant fact that they'd never actually run in 'em!

    Anyway, I was out in them this morning after a long run on Sunday and despite my creaking, 49-yr-old knees still being in recovery mode, I found what I usually find when I wear the Newtons - I just want to run far and fast(ish).

    I won't rave on about them too much, suffice to say I've had my Motions for six months and compared to my old clumpy shoes they've been a lightweight revelation. 

  • Have you found your race times have improved Paulie ?
  • Have to admit that the picture is a bit clouded by the fact that I alternate with my other fave shoe, the DS Trainer, Cougie. So I couldn't say categorically that the Newtons have knocked minutes off my 5k or 10k times but I'm pretty sure my gradually improving times are down to, in large part, the Newtons - simply because of what I know happens on my training runs. (I can see I'm gonna have to start taking more notice of what I wear and when I wear it, so I can give you a definitive answer!image)

    As Matt says, they seem to make running much easier and require less effort of you - and that's true whether racing or training. Whenever I wear them, I always run more quickly, with better form... and that's all I can ask for from a running shoe, really.

  • I've just put elastic laces in my newtons - theres a local 5k tomorrow - I'll see how I go there.
  • Sure you'll do well, Cougie, now your laces have a bit more "give" and you're easing back into it. Personally I love my Newtons laces - just the right length (for once) and a nice deep red colour to match the shoes. Do I sound like a complete fashion victim?
  • Just a little....

    i'm with you on that one though,its nice to have laces that are just the right length-although mine are bright orange!

  • I couldnt find any orange elastic laces - so I've gone with those knotted elastic ones - in pink. I figured I already have fluo yellow and fluo orange on them anyway - one more bright colour cant harm ? image
  • What happened next?



    (Thinking of buying some Newtons, doing the whole searching the forums thing)
  • I did use them to do a fast half marathon in. But I think half of the speed came from me wanting to take the buggers off as quickly as possible. I can really feel the paddles beneath the shoe.



    I don't think the shoes themselves are the key - but the way they make you run is probably more important. You cant really heel strike as there is no heel.



    Way overpriced though - I do most of my runs in ??40 shoes these days. I might go back to them in the summer - but I found them no good off road - stones stick inbetween the paddles, and grip in the wet isn't brilliant.



    I'd definitely advise elastic laces with them though.
  • Cheers cougie. The price puts me off more than anything - as well as the fact that most of my runs are off road. I tried some on in a shop and I know it was making me run better but I don't think I could handle that brick in the shoe feeling.



    I've come to the conclusion that a big heel is not for me and is actually causing me injuries - like the current knee knack that is destroying my running life - but I don't want to go the whole way into the world of minimalist shoes. Ah, the turmoil.



    Thanks for replying.
  • No problem. They may have improved the shoes by now - but I just cant see that they're value for money. I'd think just focussing on your running style is the cheapest and the best thing you can do. Good luck with the knee.
  • stutyrstutyr ✭✭✭

    Johnny, have a look at the Saucony range with 4mm heel-to-toe difference (most popular are the Kinvara).  By having a much lower than normal offset (my old Asics were 10mm +) it makes it much easier to run on the mid/forefoot.  I went for the Mirage model, and the last pair I got were £38 in the sales.    

    A few years ago Newton were at the forefront of the move away from heel-striking, but all the major brands have started to take notice, so it makes it even more difficult to justify the increased cost of newton shoes.

  • Thanks stu. I'm actually very tempted by skechers goruns. cheap as chips at the mo. possibly for good reason...
  • I did a Marathon in Newton motions and had no problems at all. My friend loves his Sketchers but I don't know what model.



    I think once you have a tender foot you will notice the lugs more and also when they get over about 350 miles use.



    I tried Newton Gravities and they seemed to emphasise my tender foot but I think it's an injury not the shoes and I have changed shoes to see if I can help a swift recovery.



    I think often we blame equipment when perhaps its just plain overuse, and I am inclined to think I was as much at fault for my problem as my Newtons if I am honest.
  • I've had my Motions since May last year. Done about 750 miles in them so far, no sign of needing replacing yet. I think if you run efficiently they end up better value than cushioned shoes where the forefoot disintegrates really quickly because it isn't designed to take the foot strike. With Newtons you aren't compressing the foam - you're compressing rubber into air chambers, so finding they're lasting much longer. I've been really happy with them.

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