Running Shoes

Summary: What you know and might not know about running shoes.

Athletic shoes are referred with many names, but it is more commonly referred to as sneakers or running shoes. If you never heard about running shoes, well I think you deserve a hefty smack in the middle of your forehead. Too bad I’m not in front of you to do you this favor. Instead, I let me educate you about running shoes.

Running shoes are made of soft and flexible materials, and characteristically have rubber soles. Over the years, certain innovations created various types of running shoes with non-rubber soles but the most basic running shoes always have rubber soles. Why rubber soles? Because rubber soles provide greater traction and has a definitive cushion effect to ease the pounding of heels during running. Furthermore, materials that create running shoes are lightweight and flexible that it would do nothing to hamper one’s exertion in running. In fact innovations are constantly developed to improve wearer performance.

The first running shoe had a plimsole sole. This sole is created from the process of melding rubber and cloth together called vulcanization. Of course this shoe type won’t hit a penny these days but at the time of its inception, it was a wonderful innovation that allowed ease of movement and comfortable wear. Since these running shoes allow movement without noise the term ‘sneakers’ came out.

Running shoes took a giant step forward when a British company called J.W. Foster and Sons developed the spiked sole. They integrated it to the running shoe and the spiked running shoes were born. Later on, they also changed their name to Reebok. That was somewhere in 1890.

It was 1925 when a German shoe manufacturer named Adolf ‘Adi’ Dassler made more innovations to the spiked running shoes. He also tweaked this shoe with other materials, making them lighter still. (I hope you won’t have problems guessing the name of the company)

When technology advanced rapidly during the 70s, everything also made a huge step forward. Instead of basic designs in making shoes, manufacturers now involved podiatrists in shoe design. Shoe materials were tweaked even more, further lightening the running shoe.

When Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) was developed in late 1970s it also ushered the best modernization of running shoes to date. This substance provides superb cushioning and absorbs shock even better than rubber.

To date competition amongst shoe manufacturers Nike, Adidas, and Asics is very stiff, with each producing their own line of state-of-the-art shoe products and endorsing popular athletes and celebrities to carry the image. That made running shoes a popular trend in the casual market, especially with young people. More often than not, you will notice a youngster with a pair of running shoes than leather. Effective marketing strategies by shoe manufacturers such as Nike, Reebok, and Adidas are by large responsible for the cultural propagation of running shoes.