The Evolution of Running Shoes

From the RUNNER'S WORLD Evolution of Running series THE EVOLUTION OF RUNNING SHOES !9 1920 Seven-time Boston Marathon winner Clarence DeMar and others run the roads in thin shoes with crepe rubber soles and leather uppers. The Ritchings Company makes custom-fitted models that weigh less than 10 ounces. 1940s Most top runners race track and cross country, so spikes are better than road shoes. A company in Wimbeldon, England is among those making custom-fitted spikes. 1951 Japan's Shegeki Tanaki wins Boston Marathon in split-toe shoe with separate compartment for big toe. 1960 Running barefoot, Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia wins Olympic Marathon in world record. Four years later, he wins Olympic Marathon in world record with shoes. Our conclusion: Bikila is really good! 1960 New Balance Trackster is one if not the first mass-produced running shoes. Sole with deep ripples advertised to help prevent shin splints. At just under 11 ounces, shoe retails for $15. DISTANE RUNNING News 1967 First shoe review appears in Distance Running News, precursor to Runner's World. achletic atic 1972 Athlete's Foot and Athletic Attic chains open. Running-centered stores mean runners have buying option beyond sporting goods stores or mail order. 1972 Shoe GOO adhesive hits market. Originally intended for repair of tennis shoes, glue applied to outsoles becomes way for budget-conscious runners to extend shoe life. Product produces loud, firm foot strikes, and tends to fall off in the rain. 1974 First Nike Waffle Trainer released, two years after first Nike "Moon Shoe" distributed to runners at Olympic Trials. 1976 Companies begin to release women's running shoes, cut on a narrower last. 1977 Brooks Vantage first mass-market running shoe with an EVA midsole and "varus wedge" said to control pronation, heralding modern running shoe's emphasis on cushioning and motion control. 1977 Jim Fixx's red Onitsuka Tiger racing flats grace cover of his #1 bestseller, The Complete Book of Running. Late 1970s Almost all running shoe manufacturing moves overseas. New Balance only major company to retain some U.S. production, with five factories in Maine and Massachusetts. 1979 First Nike Air shoe, Tailwind, released. Soon most companies have proprietary cushioning systems. 1982 New Balance 990 first $100 running shoe. Company takes out ads celebrating milestone, with emphasis on shoe's plushness and luxury features. 1986 Adidas Micropacer features electronic pedometer stitched into the tongue. First attempt to meld electronics with running shoes. 1991 Reebok releases Pump running shoe, with air chambers on upper said to allow customized fit. 1995 Kenyan Christopher Kosgei wins world steeplechase title with nothing on feet except tape on a few toes. It's the most recent senior world or Olympic title won barefoot. 1996 Michael Johnson wins three gold medals at Atlanta Olympics in appropriately gold spikes. 2004 First version of Nike Free released. Shoe initially marketed as"training tool" to strengthen feet becomes early minimalist model; at same time, bulk of sales are to non-runners. 2005 Vibram releases FiveFingers shoe, originally made for kayaking and other outdoor activities. After Born to Run becomes bestseller in 2009, FiveFingers sales triple annually for a couple years. 2006 In conjunction with Apple, Nike launches Nike+, first in-shoe transmitter to sync activity and other data with popular consumer electronics. 2009 First Hoka One One maximally cushioned shoe released, sign that minimalist backlash isn't far away. 2013 New Balance introduces customized, 3D-printed spike plate; company says it hopes to extend process to everyday shoes. 2014 Companies compete to introduce lightest road racing flat on market, with some models in smaller sizes weighing less than 3 ounces. 2044 What will runners wear 30 years from now? One possibility: shoes made from protocells, or synthetic materials that have properties of organic matter, including self-repair. Explore the entire Evolution of Running series at: runnersworld.com/evolution RUNNER'S WORLD