Polygamy in Shoe Brands

Have you run the one you love into the ground? When your favorite pair of running shoes has reached its maximum mileage, it might be time to try, not only a new shoe, but a new brand on for size.

From triple knotting shoes to listening to the type of music that could only belong to pre-teens during a warm-up, runners have the most unique of quirks. Yet, there’s something to be said about the inherent and obsessive shoe quirk within runners. If there were a set of norms—commandments, if you will—in the running subculture, they might include matters such as, he who eats pasta on the eve of race-day shall perform best, and running brotherhood is to nod at passersby on trail runs. Of these, the tenth commandment of running would likely read, thou shall commit to one brand of running shoe and never turn back.

Come race day, Andrew Goodman, a collegiate runner at Colorado State University, sports racing flats belonging to the College’s athletic sponsor, Under Armour. During training, Goodman admits that for four years he, too, was an offender of commitment when it comes to running shoe brands. Up until the summer of 2013, he pledged his feet to a certain Nike Pro shoe from season to season and he’s gained the run-down pile of shoes in his closet to prove it.

Up until now, you have probably dipped your foot into the pool of a couple of different brands looking for the right one. No doubt, a process reminiscent of Cinderella’s own shoe wear, runners have been dabbling in the wrong fairy tale plot.

Megan Price, a 39-year-old career woman, says running is both a release and helps her refuel her mind. "I've learned, though, that if I want to use running as my primary release, I have to take care of myself," Price says. "Whether that means taking days off, or equipping myself with the best gear, you can't enjoy something when it gives you pain."

“Runner’s have to know that the shoe is going to be your best friend or your worst enemy,” says Thomas Hecker, Doctor of Podiatric Medicane at the Orthopedic Center for the Rockies (OCR) in Fort Collins, Co. As a practicing doctor on the biggest team at the OCR, the Foot and Ankle team, Hecker has gained years of insight in his foot injuries amongst runners.

“Be it injuries blisters, it’s all the same in the eye of a runner,” Hecker says. “They want a brand that they know is going to take care of them, and I have to coax people into seeing why different shoes will help them perform better”.

Although the fourth commandment in running may read all pain is curable through an ice bath, not all commandments can stand the test of time. A runner’s most valued tools are the feet. And when the only shield you can offer them is a shoe, concerning yourself with optimal fit versus renowned logo will allow for longer trail runs and many more race days ahead.

“Every little thing I can control, I want to control. It’s a mental aspect and I want to know that my shoe is a good fit when I get on the line and race,” Goodman says.

---