The Newton Energy running shoes are supposed to be an “intro to Newton” shoe, or even an intro to more of a minimalist, mid to forefoot-striking shoe. It does a good job. It definitely has a smaller heel-to-toe drop (6mm) than a traditional trainer (often around 12-14mm) and the trademark Newton “lugs” (on the forefoot of the shoe, that helps focus your foot strikes to that area) are less substantial.
Since this isn’t my first run-in (get it?) with Newton (I’ve worked out and raced quite a bit now in my Distance), I was already pretty used to the feeling of being slightly propelled up onto my forefeet, as the lugs assist with. The Energy helped to this in the very same way, but much more mildly so.
They felt good out of the box, light ans snappy, you can definitely feel the flatness of the lesser heel-to-toe drop. The lugs nor the drop were crazily abrupt in comparison to a traditional trainer, so I see this as being a really good transitional shoe. I could also easily see this as being a solid racing flat, ranging from a 5k to a half marathon. Any longer that that, I would personally probably want something with a little more support–however, I’ve only ran up to 8 miles at a time in them so far, so they could still be good for longer yet.
My only complaint is one I also had with the Distance–without wearing a sock with a heel tab pad, the back of one of my heels was pinched to the extent that it started to blister. I didn’t notice when I was actually running, but afterward it was clearly roughed up. When I next used a sock with a padded heel, I had no issues.
Overall I really like the feel of this shoe, and look forward to trying it on some other surfaces (just track and sidewalks so far) and trying it out for some slightly longer distances as well.
Weight: 7 ounces (mens 9 oz)
Heel-to-toe drop: 6mm
Womens:
Mens:
This shoe was made by Newton to help people transition to the mid-foot strike. And after wearing it I agree that it would be great for that. There is a lot of cushion in the shoe so it is forgiving while one transitions from a heel strike to a mid-foot strike. And the lugs do not stick out as far as they do in some of the other shoes, so it doesn’t make you strike only on your mid-foot. The lugs are still there so it helps you know to strike there, but if you are transitioning this is good because you do not want to be forced into striking a different way if you are not ready yet. And the heel drop is more in between that of a typical running shoe and the more classic Newtons/other minimalist shoes. I found these shoes very comfortable. They are very breathable and they keep your feet dry. I personally like the Gravities better for myself since I am not transitioning, but for anyone interested in Newtons or interested in trying to run more on their mid-foot this shoe would be perfect. They are a little pricey, but pretty comparable to the price of a lot of other running shoes. And they allow you to start running more like a minimalist without having to endure the damage of a minimalist shoe if you are not ready.
I recommended these to my dad because he was having a lot of the same knee and back pain I was having and he was running in a very high heel shoe, so I figured he needed to transition some. He transitioned very slowly in them so that he did not hurt himself, and he didn’t have any problems. He is now running in them full time. His main complaints are that the bottoms of his feet hurt some, and it seems to happen on any type of run. He runs 10 mi in them once and a while and he says his feet will go numb around mile 7.
He has been sticking with them though, and says that they have helped a lot with his leg and back pain. He is once in a while sore during the run, but has no pain after the run. Which is a big improvement, because he used to have a lot of pain pretty constantly after runs.
These seem to be a good transition shoe, and I would definitely still recommend them, but keep in mind that they don’t seem as good for longer runs.