Minimus 3090 Connect from New Balance
May 15, 2012 | 15 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)!
Interview with Tim Kelley
May 9, 2012 | 3 comments »
Tim Kelley is a runner, dad, and blogger here on BirthdayShoes.com. He's based out of Virginia and is somewhat famous for having a photo of Obama and himself photoshopped into a spoof show of support for Ron Paul. Below is a brief interview with Tim so readers get to know the authors behind BirthdayShoes!
Laced SeeYa LS FiveFingers Spotted in the Wild?
May 8, 2012 | 22 comments »
A photo surfaced recently of what looked liked laced versions of the Vibram FiveFingers SeeYa. SeeYas with laces? Interesting...
Both our men's and women's review of the FiveFingers SeeYa cited a somewhat loose fit, and while Tim didn't have issues with blisters while wearing the SeeYas with socks, Leah had some rubbing issues with hers.
Meanwhile, virtually every new FiveFingers model sporting a new sole has been followed up 6-12 months later with a laced model with the same sole (e.g. Bikila to Bikila LS, KomodoSport to KomodoSport LS, Spyridon LS/Spyridon, etc.).
We've already gotten a solid sneak peak of the Fall 2012 Vibram FiveFingers, and from that we know a laced SeeYa isn't on tap for a 2012 release; so I can only assume that these laced SeeYas are being tested now for a 2013 release — perhaps Spring 2013? If I had to speculate (which I am doing!), this would be my best guess so far, but honestly, who knows.
As for what I could tell in these mysterious pictures aside from the laces (which aren't the speed-lacing system style, incidentally), it looks like there's more of the sturdy fabric on the upper of these laced SeeYas, likely there to snug the fit down with the laces. The hope would be that this would reduce slipping and sliding of the upper and make for an overall more secure fit. What I can't tell from the alleged photos is if the heel-cup is modified in this design. We know the heel was also a question of concern from Tim's review and an area that was being worked on between the original pre-production and final production versions of the SeeYa.
Any existing SeeYa owners want to chime in on whether they'd like to have laces or not? Anyone on the fence about the SeeYa's current design? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments!
Altra Eve Review
May 7, 2012 | 6 comments »
The Altra Eve is a customizable minimalist shoe designed specifically for a woman’s foot (It's the women's equivalent of the Altra Adam reviewed by Justin here). In the product video on Altra’s website, they mention that it has a narrower heel, longer arch, higher instep, and a wider toebox.
Not much of a fan of the aesthetics here. They have a strappy configuration that has some sort of mummified/bandage look going on. Also, the overall look and feel of these reminds me exactly of a mitten. The shape of the stretchy upper and rounded toe are what gives it the mitten look. So with that, I’ve dubbed them the “mummy mittens.”
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