CONTINUED
SNEAKERS
OF THE GODS
Carbon Footstrikes on the
Evolutionary Trail
by Byron Laursen
Twenty years ago, most amateur sporting
was done in canvas and rubber shoes
kxxsely called “tennies" or “sneakers.’
But up in Eugene, Oregon, a popular track
coach was promoting a new Rtness discipline
called jogging. Bill Bowerman, leader of the
University of Oregon’s powerhouse NCAA
track squad, had induced local people of all
ages and genders to trim their frames by
shuffling at moderate pace around a track. It
was a certified trend when Life magazine, in
the Spring of 1963, sent a camera crew to the
scene. Circling ahead of the pioneer jogging
squads on a flatbed truck, they also drew
flocks of freshman boys in leather oxfords,
ties and white shirts, eager to make the pages
of Life.
Jogging caught on. But oxfords didn’t. As
the army of run-for-your-lifers grew, common
sneakers took the opportunity to evolve.
Puma and Adidas, a pair of German firms,
were the major names in track shoes then.
Adidas had made the shoes in which Jesse
Owens won four gold medals during the 1936
Berlin Olympiad. Puma had been in business
since 1948, producing the rarified, ultra-light
footwear demanded by track competition.
When sneakers were crossbred with these
track shoes, the results were lighter and more
sophisticated than the’former while more
multi-purpose than the latter. They were
cooler and more comfortable. They made
sports performance easier, staved off injuries
and generally kept one’s dogs from barking.
By the early Seventies, with jogging and other
fitness activities on a wild upswing, Nike, New
Balance and several other new firms joined
the ranks of the Germans and those few es
tablished American sneaker companies — like
Converse and Keds — in the running shoe
market. By 1972 there were about twenty
models to chose from. Today there are about
three hundred. The National Sporting Goods
Association pegs sports shoes as a $1.88 bil
lion business annually, according to 1982
statistics. Only (only, he says!) $421 million is
specifically spent on running shoes, a figure
that has tripled in size since 1980. But the
majority of all sports shoes is design-related
to our current running shoes. Millions of re
search and development dollars have been
spent by firms wanting to stay ahead of the
volatile market. “Choosing a running shoe is
like being in a candy store,” says Angel Mar
tinez, a marathon runner and representative
of Reebok. “Trying everything that looks good
can be hazardous to your health.”
Section by section, here are some standards
for choosing your shoes:
The Outer Sole smacks the ground re
peatedly, so it must be tough and yet flexible.
The best are of carbon black rubber com
pounds. EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) and other
cushiony compounds are also acceptable.
They may wear more quickly, but they will be
lighter than the carbon black models
Waffle designs are the best cushions —
which becomes important when you consider
that each time a running foot lands, it’s sub
jected to stress two to six times the runner's
body weight. But the waffles wear quickly on
pavement. Pavement is also hard on you, says
orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ivan Higgins of Port
land, Oregon, who has operated on more
jt>gging-injured ankles and legs than he cares
to remember.
While the waffles are best for grass and
mud, channeled outersoles are the choice for
general surfaces. They allow water to squeeze
out sideways, reducing slippage on rainy days.
But there should be at least a quarter-inch
between channels, or else you may collect
mudcakes.
Vans, which sells lots of tough sneakers to
BMX (bicycle motocross) enthusiasts, has just
entered the running shoe field with an outer
sole design that’s rippled, ft looks capable of
edging you forward a smidgen with each
.turning movements on a hard surface.
The Sock Liner, which sits directly beneath
your foot, will probably be made of low
density EVA. Spongy, it will gradually conform
to your foot shape. Cushioning value will dis
sipate, but the sock liner will absorb moisture
and help "lock" your foot into the shoe.
The Upper is the most visible pan of the
shoe, the top and the sides. Colors of cin
nabar, crimson, magenta or what have you,
plus racy identi-logos, compete for your
glances.
Leather and nylon are usually teamed for
uppers. Nylon resists stretching, breathes well
and dries easily, and won’t cause abrasions.
Leather, alone, can leave uncongenial raw
spots on top of your toes, especially if it's
lower-grade split grain leather. Placement of
stride. New Balance had a similar design on
their prototypes ten years ago, but didn’t re
tain it.
The Midsole and the Wedge are the thick,
cushiony layer just above the outer sole. They
need to be made of materials with good
memory. Otherwise they’ll gradually flatten
out and leave your knees to do the shock ab
sorption.
Squishy soft materal will probably lose its
memory quickly. Test a pair of shoes by jump
ing on a hard surface. They should give
slightly and rebound immediately. EVA is a
typical component, but it can be softer or
denser depending on how it is compound
ed. Some makers put a softer blend in the
wedge and a harder one in the midsole.
Polyurethane is an excellent midsole and
wedge material, but it is more expensive.
Nike recently introduced a cushioning
set-up they call Air Sole. It’s a plastic tube sys
tem filled with inert gas. They claim 30 per
cent greater cushioning than EVA with no loss
of memory after 500 miles.
Slip-Lasting Is one construction technique,
Insole Board is another. Each has its true be
lievers and you may hear arguments favoring
one over the other. An insole board is a
semi-rigid, foot-shaped piece of either cel
lulose fibers or leather dust fibers, bonded in
a glue. The upper and lower components of
the shoe are glued to it. Some claim that it’s a
more solid construction, preventing twisting
motion that may injure a foot. But Saucony,
which placed two models in the top five on
last year’s Runner’s World poll, makes slip
lasted shoes, as do some other respected
manufacturers. Still others, like Brooks, make
shoes with insole boards at the heel for
strength and slip-lasted at the toe for flexi
blity. Judge for yourself by seeing how stable
the shoe feels when you make twisting and
leather should be at structurally important
points like toes, heels and lacing areas.
Leather that’s used more extensively should
be top quality, like the full-grain calf leather
in Reebok’s Freestyle and Ex-O-Fit models.
In better shoes the nylon uppers will be a
sandwich of nylon tricot underneath, a layer
of foam, and nylon mesh on the top side.
The Heel Counter is the back section, which
must grip your heel snugly. It should be
rather rigid, to minimize rolling and side-to
side motion. A weak heel counter could lead
to an ankle sprain. Grab the counter, squeeze
it, tug it. Pre-molded polyethylene and pre
molded woven nylon are typical materials
here, but a solid feel is the most important
standard.
Tlx Sum of the Parts should be a shoe that
looks close to faultless. Gluing shouldn’t be
sloppy, stitching should be just right.
“Make sure the shoes fit as you would like
them to fit,” advises Howard Sorofman of the
Saucony r & d department. “Not every manu
facturer can be perfect for everybody’s feet,
no matter how good their product.” The
overall sensation should be of well-cushioned
stability at the heel, at the forefoot,
everywhere.
Fortunately, there’s a long list of manufac
turers strong on quality and continued re
search. Brooks, which had its financial and
quality control problems, was bought out a
year ago by Wolverine and is back with a
$250,000 research grant to Michigan State
University’s Biomechanics Research Lab. Greg
Meyers won the 1983 Boston Marathon wear
ing Brooks shoes. Nike, with one of the high
est research budgets in the industry, employs
the venerable Coach Bowerman and boasts
overall sales in the vicinity of $700 million.
Adidas, headquartered in Germany, produces
some 280,000 pairs of shoes daily. Puma, still
A M
E R S A N D
Sept. /Oct. 83, page 25
a family business, has maintained a reputation
for durability and excellent quality control.
Mizuno, which also produces some
baseball gloves that look like samurai gear,
has introduced what they call a “cassette” sys
tem of midsoles and outer soles. This allows
you to custom order the cushioning capacity
to your weight and running habits. Etonic es
pouses a reduced-mass heel which they claim
provides weight reduction and longer wear.
New Balance, an insurgent eleven-year-old
American firm, has some of the handsomest
color schemes and a midsole design wherein
a horseshoe shape of harder EVA cradles the
heel. Converse was the giant among basket
ball shoe manufacturers until the Running
Shoe Revolution hit. Though playing catch-up
ball nowadays, they have the advantage of a
long-established distribution system and are
promoting a very full line of shoes.
If the past twenty years of evolution have
been feverish, what lies ahead? Hovercraft for
the feet? Not likely. We’ll probably see con
tinued refinement of cushioning and con
struction. As the market expands — and even
more so if it stops expanding — we ll see
more aggressive promotion to establish brand
preference. But knowledge of what makes a
pair of shoes worth the price is more valuable
than seeing ads or even guest appearances on
the silver screen. Your brain knows how to
find the marks of quality; your feet know what
feels good. Let them collaborate on your next
running shoe choice.
Hike Higher!
Climb Faster!
by Byron Laijrsen
A fascinating spin-off from running shoe
technology has recently emerged. Some pro
fessional mountaineers, weary from the heavy
stompers they’ve trundled uphill with over
the years, switched to climbing in top-quality
running shoes. In so doing, they sacrificed
some durability. But they showed running
shoe manufacturers another opportunity for
evolution.
New Balance, Nike and Brooks have all
married sturdy, lug-soled bottoms to midsoles
and uppers whose designs are influenced by
running shoe technology. The results are like
evolved variations of the “waffle stomper”
boots that were very popular on campuses a
few years ago. Lou Whittaker, who operates
America’s largest mountaineering guide ser
vice from the spectacular slopes of
Washington’s Mount Rainier, collaborated
with New Balance on their entry, called the
Rainier.
Off to test the product against Mt. Everest
this March, Whittaker says the new designs
will “make every 8-pound leather leg killer
obsolete.” A Lady Rainier model is also avail
able.
Nike has two stylish market entries, the Ap
proach (hightop) and Lava Dome (lowcut).
Brooks, which will compete against more
conventional hikers from its Wolverine parent
company, calls its line Geotech Hikers. It in
cludes the Explorer, with a 7-inch hightop;
the Challenger, with a 6-inch hightop; and the
Pathfinder, which is lowcut.
As much as these new hiking boots may be
a boon to mountaineers and their overtaxed
feet, the manufacturers are even more excited
that they may become standard knockabout
campus wear. The potential for this kxtks
good, especially in parts of the country where
rain and snow dominate the winter months.