Newton Running Shoes

These shoes are very tempting, despite the price tag ($155 for racing). Check out a review of a study (and much more!) from highlights of the recent American College of Sports Medicine annual conference. I wonder about durability.

Running shoes with special "actuator lugs" (Google it) improved running economy by 1.0% in 12 elite distance runners, with a P value that represents 99% confidence limits of ±0.9% [2624]. The authors confused error of measurement with smallest effects and uncertainty in the outcome, so were not as optimistic as they should have been. The effect should translate into an improvement in running speed of 1%, which for a top runner represents a small-moderate benefit (a couple of extra medals every 10 races). -sportsci.org