New Balance Revival

After my gushing post about Flotrack Pro you may be wondering if I get anything out of promoting things. No. No I don't. I wish I did, but I don't. I want to just unbiasly share my opinions. That being said I wanted to talk about the only American manufactured shoe brand, New Balance.

As a sales person in the running industry there seemed to be a stigma attached to the brand. It seemed like a brand for older people; like old old. It was a brand that has produced some of the most popular full leather walking shoes. In fact at the store I was fitting every other customer over the age of 50 with a pair of the New Balance 920s.

I am assuming that serious walkers are not reading any of this blog, so what is my point? For years New Balance's running shoes were a lot like their leather walking shoes: chunky, heavy, and unappealing. Again I felt like they just could not come out with a shoes to keep up with the trendy, low-profile, flashy shoes.

Until recently.The shoes that stand out in my mind as the turning point for New Balance in the past 4-5 years is the NB1400/NB890. These two shoes offered a new look to the brand. They became more tapered at the toe box, sleeker overlays and a general lightness that makes their previous types of shoes seem like they were from the Stone Age. 

The 890 is one of the most popular everyday training shoes that New balance offers. It's high levels of cushioning makes it a comfortable option for any neutral runner. In some cases, those runners that are looking to move towards the minimalist approach, the 890 is an excellent segway shoe to start with if you suffer from mild pronation. 

The 1400 is a racing flat, but I have personally taken these shoes to their limit. These puppies are THE BEST ROAD RACING FLATS ON THE MARKET!!! I have had 12 pairs, and currently on my 13th pair, for a reason. Running over a 100 miles a week these flats have enough cushioning to remain comfortable enough on long run days and light enough to hit it on interval days. I can usually expect 400-450 miles out of these "racing flats." I choose to use the 1400 as my everyday trainer but I would highly recommend them as marathoning flats. A number of my teammates have the 1400 for thier interval days and love them. 

These two shoes have revived the American favorite brand. I urge you to try either of these two shoes on next time you go visit your local running store. Though New Balance may not financially compete with behemoths like Nike or best sellers like Brooks, watch out for New Balance to make a statement on the running shoe market!