20% Off SeeYa, Spyridon LS, Speed FiveFingers
May 19, 2012 | 1 comment »
I've been spending a good bit of time hunting around the past few days for sales on Vibram FiveFingers. You can do this kinda research via the BirthdayShoes "store." Anyway, apart from REI's current sale and the ability to use a 20% off coupon there (for members), there are some very exciting Memorial Day sales opportunities this week whereby you can grab Vibrams at 20% off (or more) MSRP.
If you were hoping to gnab a pair of the Spring-released, ultralight SeeYa FiveFingers on sale — or — the new trail-ready Spyridon LS FiveFingers, well, it seems that you've got your shot. You can grab the FiveFingers SeeYas for $80 (reg. $100!) or the Spyridon LS VFFs for $96 (reg. $120!) for right at $80 with free shipping! They've also got all the new Speed FiveFingers colorways for only $80 (also 20% off) shipped free, too (Men's & Women's, respectively). This sale will last through 5/24.
Not into the new-fangled toe shoes (Spyris or SeeYas) or the new Speed colorways, here's the best deal in town on the original black and white Speed FiveFingers. You can hook up a pair at this other retailer for a mere $60 (Sizes 40 - 44 available)! That is an absurdly good deal—40% off the $100 MSRP (way back when I had to buy them from the U.K. a year prior to the U.S. release I paid 3X as much!). No clue how long that sale will last.
I love the Speeds for their comfort and style. Really, of all the FiveFingers I own, the Speeds are the most-commented-on and most-positively received FiveFingers — this is by non-toe shoe wearers, mind you. They breath well with their mesh upper making them a nice casual "sneaker" for the summer or go run in them at the drop of a hat.
I'll wrap it up — get your sale on and good luck!
Skechers Forks Over Forty Million for Shape-Ups Deceptive Advertising Claims
May 17, 2012 | 15 comments »
If there's one website you don't want a vanity URL on (e.g. facebook.com/birthdayshoes) — it's the FTC's. Hop over to www.ftc.gov/skechers and you'll find the following message:
Did you buy Skechers Shape-ups, Resistance Runner, Toners, or Tone-ups shoes?
You may be eligible for a refund.
The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, charged Skechers with making unfounded claims that its Shape-ups and other "toning shoes" would help people lose weight and tone their buttocks, legs, and abdominal muscles.
To settle the case, Skechers USA has agreed to pay $40 million to provide refunds to people who bought Skechers toning shoes.
Ouch!
Yep, it seems that Skechers was next in the FTC's line after Reebok's $25 million penalty over their EasyTone claims delivered back in September of 2011.
You can read all about the FTC's slapdown on Skechers here. For a particularly snarky quote from that FTC post, check this:
Unshoes Pah Tempe Review
May 16, 2012 | 12 comments »
If you’ve been around ultra-minimalist running and walking for a while you’ve probably seen more than a few sandal or huarache varieties. They are mostly the same; very thin Vibram rubber outsole that is shaped like the outline of your foot and then some sort of lacing system that involves a long cord that is worked all round the sandal bed and your foot to secure it in place. Moreover, most of the huaraches available these days typically involve a strap that runs between your big toe and its neighbor.
Enter the Unshoes Pah Tempe, a minimalist sandal that avoids the big toe thong attachment point, invoking the spirit of Chacos or Tevas but without the heftier soles. Today I'll be reviewing the Unshoes Pah Tempe — read on!
Minimus 3090 Connect from New Balance
May 15, 2012 | 21 comments »
New Balance teased yesterday on their Facebook page a new shoe in their Minimius line — the Minimus 3090 Connect.
I hadn't heard a word about this new release from New Balance so I was intrigued. What more, there was a spastic, 30-second YouTube teaser video on the 3090 that immediately had me thinking about the soles of the New Balance Minimus Trail Zeros — the molecule-shaped soles of the Minimus 3090 just looked all too familiar. So I started seeing what I could find out about these beasts.
Want to know more? I've got video, screencaps, and stock specs and images all after the jump!
10 Marathons. 10 Days. In 10 Toed Shoes.
May 10, 2012 | 1 comment »
In less than 24 hours, Robert Dallison is to run a marathon — one of ten marathons he'll be doing on ten consecutive days. And he's going to be doing it in Bikila FiveFingers*. The race is the Brathay 10 in 10 — here's a bit more about the 10x10:
Back in 2007 Sir Christopher Ball, a fellow of Brathay Trust, suggested that the Brathay Windermere Marathon incorporates a 10 marathons in 10 days endurance running event – 262 miles over 10 days around England’s largest lake! In its first year eight dedicated athletes established benchmark times and developed a model of support required to complete 10 marathons over consecutive days.
This distinctive event, now approaching its sixth year, is now regularly described as “... the UK’s ultimate endurance running event.”
As Robert recently posted on his blog, this 10 day race will take about a half a million steps to complete. Try and conceptualize a half of a million — it's not easy!
As if running 10 marathons in 10 days in 10 toed shoes wasn't enough, Robert is also raising money to support the Brathay Trust. His goal is to reach £5,000, and the money will be used by the Brathay Trust to underprivileged children and young people take charge of their lives. You can donate directly to support Robert and his goal via this link.
I wanted to find out a little bit more about how Robert got into running — and running in FiveFingers specifically, as well as challenges he's had on his path to train for this ultra-race. I asked him a few questions and here's what he had to say (after the jump)!
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