Posts Tagged with: "New Balance"

A letter from Anton Gonzales of Planet Sports:

Greetings from your family at New Balance. We were intending to stage our Power Run on November 7 but have decided to move the date to 20 February 2011. This is to pave the way for the exciting introductions of our 2011 footwear and apparel line as we aim to relate the dates of our product releases with our big runs on a regional basis. We will be present as sponsor in some of the big races in the next few months. Thank you.

Run Happy,

Anton Gonzalez
President
Planet Sports Inc.

A few months back three lucky readers won New Balance Running Shoes which NB management specifically chose for their respective foot types. In return, NB requested for honest, unbiased reviews of the shoes. Pretty good deal if I may say so!

Here’s the summary of their reviews.  At the end of this blog, you may click on the links to download each of their full reviews:

MIKE JANEO
SHOE: NEW BALANCE 760
FOOT/SHOE TYPE: low arch, neutral shoe

– New Balance 760 –

PLUS

1. DESIGN & COLOR: The design is subtle and is made to be functional. The nice comments I got from friends who saw me sporting the shoes with my weekend casual wear are confirmation that it really looks great!
2. SURE LACE: I’m very satisfied with how it works. I don’t have to worry about pulling my laces too tight or what will I do if it gets loose because it stays in place once you’ve pulled them together
3. REFLECTORS: This shoe has more than enough reflectors for your safety if you are usually off running on the roads before sunrise or at night.
4. LIGHT AND COMFORTABLE: The thin mesh material keeps the shoe flexible and comfortable.
5. Great fit especially in the heel and towards the arch. The LockDown Liner™ wraps the mid-foot for a snug and comfortable fit.
6. SHOCK ABSORPTION AND CUSHIONING: N-ergy® and ABZORB® are trademark features of New Balance and they are known to provide ample amount of shock absorption and cushioning which is very much needed by heavy runners like me.
7. STABILITY: TS2® or its Transition Support System is very evident on the shoe’s performance which benefits me a lot having a low arch and being a mild-overpronator.

MINUS

1. BLISTERS: I cannot confidently point out the specific factor in the shoe that may have caused me to get blisters but I just had to point it out here as a delta point since I haven’t experienced having blisters for the longest time that I was using my Nike Run Avant.
2. WIDE TOE BOX: Not a big deal for me, there could be positive and negative effects of having this (I’m thinking blisters could be a negative effect ) but having a roomy feeling on the forefoot is something that I needed to get used to at first.

Over-all, I’ll give it a 4 out of 5 rating. For me, the New Balance 760 is a great stability training shoe built for faster pace but short distances. Low arched runners who have an over-pronation problem will benefit much from this shoe.

– Mike in his NB 760 at Chase the Sun, Neutrogena Run –

I will continue to use the 760s for my training runs as I was able to maximize the features and benefits of this shoe during my interval and tempo runs. I will reserve my Nike Run Avant for my long runs on a weekend and for my future races.

MARTIN CRUZ
SHOE: NEW BALANCE 758
FOOT/SHOE TYPE: high arch

– New Balance 758 –

PLUS:

1. WIDTH: I liked the wide opening of the 758. It gave a lot of room for my wide feet to play inside since I am trying to run landing on my mid foot.
2. CUSHIONING: It’s not really soft but the cushioning is fine with me. With my weight of 186 lbs, it gave good support on my landings.
3. DESIGN: I liked the looks as well compared with my old NB 845 shoes. I guess NB is also catching up on making the shoes look beautiful in addition to the great functionality it provides.

MINUS

1. SOLE: The only challenge I had doing the mid foot run was on the heel part of the sole. Since it is quite thick on that part, I have a little difficulty running on my mid foot. But I am beginning to find the sweet spot landing mid foot with that shoe.

I have run in this shoe for almost a month now. I have ran with it on my long run prior to the Dream Marathon of the Bull Runner, I ran with it on the Dream Marathon day, I used it during my short runs on weekdays and I can say that I am satisfied, I liked the comfortabilty and I can recommend using New balance 758 running shoes to anyone with the same need as myself.

– Martin in his NB 758 at TBR Dream Marathon –

ETHEL SAMSON
SHOE: NEW BALANCE 740
FOOT/SHOE TYPE: neutral

– New Balance 740 –

PLUS:

1. Wide toe box. It lets me stretch out and move my toes in all directions a bit inside. It had prevented me from having more crooked and dead toe nails.
2. Breathable mesh on the upper part of the shoes keeps my toes well ventilated and yet it has a considerable outside protection, that doesn’t let moisture in easily, even when you’re already pouring water all over.
3. Steep curve on the flex grooves are perfect for me as I’m a forefoot striker. I love it that even a slight forward bend would already give me a forward thrust. Even though it doesn’t have that bulk cushion as compared to the heel part, I’m amazed that with just the perfect pair of socks, I’m not having blisters on the ball anymore, no need for a footbed.
4. Slim arch side on the midsole towards the shank, the tongue, shoe laces. The slim fit of the midsole part thru the arch part of the feet and the placement of the shoe laces behind the tongue keeps my feet in place comfortably. The sides don’t rub, and my longest toe hardly makes contact with the toe cap part, despite of the wide toe box and the fact that I’m a forefoot striker.
5. The stiff heel tabs towards the heel counter and the sturdy medial post and outer sole keeps my heel from rolling in or out and provides the best cushion when I’m too tired, is unconsciously heel striking, and not running correctly anymore.

– Ethel in her NB 740 at the 1st Eagle Run in Cebu –

To read the full reviews of each runner, click below:
Mike Janeo – New Balance 760
Martin Cruz – New Balance 758
Ethel Samson – New Balance 740

Just got final confirmation from Bing Buenaventura that New Balance Power Run will be in Clark, Pampanga.

NEW BALANCE POWER RUN
Date: Sunday, November 7, 2010
Venue: Clark, Pampanga
Distances: 5k/ 10k/ 15k/ 25k
Race organizer: Extribe

Allow me to shed a few tears on this one.  On November 7, I’ll be in New York for my ultimate dream race, but I’ll still feel awful about missing New Balance Power Run.

– New Balance Power Run 25km in Clark November 2008 with friends Mark and Renz of Happy Feet –

The NB Power Run two years ago, held in Clark as well, will be one of my most memorable race experiences.  It was a well-organized race colored by wonderful friends along the route.  Read all about it HERE.

For now, that’s the only info provided.  I’ll release more info as they come.  Highly recommend you join this race.

First there was Valentine’s Day trail run and now a Father’s Day trail run.  I think it’s fantastic that we’re enjoying more unique and creative concepts for races—both on roads and trails.  Question: why didn’t anyone come up with a Mom’s Day Shopping and Spa run?

So, if you’re thinking of a more adventurous and fun way to spend Father’s Day this year, sign up for New Balance Trail Adventure Run. Definitely a great father-son bonding activity.  If the rest of the family wants to join in on the fun, they can watch the race and enjoy a great brunch with the entire family at Solenad in NUVALI.

New Balance Trail Adventure Run: Father’s Day Run 2010

June 20, 2010
5k (pair)/ 10k/ 15k

Last week, I posted THIS.

A total of 438 runners participated in the running shoe survey and might I say that the results made hubby and I scratch our heads at one point or giggle in another.

Allow me to share the portion that intrigued me most:

When asked what brand of shoes you wear, these were the top 3 answers:

• Nike – 49%
• New Balance – 42%
• Adidas – 34%

But, when asked “What in your opinion is the best running shoe brand?” you replied:

• New Balance – 35%
• Asics – 19%
• Nike – 16%

I’m no research analyst, but I’d love to hear what YOU think could be the reason for runners using running shoes that isn’t their top choice.  (A friend said we shouldn’t discount the fact that NB shoes were being given away hence the bias despite my informing you that the survey was not commissioned by any shoe brand.)

Anyway, without further ado, the winners of the running shoe survey who will each get 1 FREE New Balance shoe to wear test (if they agree to write a review about it) are:

1. 11th – brucemartin3
2. 309th – etheljansamson
3. 355th – m_janeo10

Congratulations to the lucky runners!

* I didn’t post the winners’ full email address to protect their privacy.  Winners will be notified via email.
** Winners were chosen through random.org.