Newton AW

January 4, 2010

I've written in detail about Newton Running, and the type of running form that attends the use of these shoes in order to achieve your best results (link at the terminus of this article). Here, I will explain the difference between the Newton All Weather Trainer and their regular performance trainers with which most of you are familiar.

The major differences are two. First, as you might expect in an all-weather shoe, it’s the grip of the outsole. I'm a Newton fan and I like the idea of tailoring the design of a shoe to what I consider a more natural running form, but, when the road is wet or, even worse, a bit icy, Newtons don't have a lot of traction. On some surfaces, in some cases, the typical Newtons were slippery bordering on dangerous.

Problem solved with the AW version. These provide a lot more traction and grip due to the more standard outsole.

The other notable difference is in the upper. The performance trainers are made of extremely lightweight, open-weave, mesh. The AW upper is constructed using a more water repellent material which also stretches much less when you wear the shoe. So they feel a bit narrower, but not uncomfortably so. Indeed, if there's a criticism of Newton's performance trainers, it's that they fit differently after the mesh stretches (which occurs after a few runs) than when you first put them on. Not so these all-weather Newtons.

In addition to, or maybe because of, the construction features of this shoe, it runs slightly different than the other performance trainers. They tend to feel a bit stiffer, not necessarily "bad" stiff, just, "different" stiff. Is this due to the different outsole material? Or, is it the upper? Or both? I don't know.

The AW is build on the midsole of a Motus. But the support of the second density is so little that also Gravity users can run in this shoe. Personally I use all Newton models and I feel little-to-no difference in support when I use a Motus or a Gravity. Overall it is a good shoe to complete Newton’s collection and a very useful shoe if you like your Newtons but need traction and grip while you are running on wet or icy road surfaces.

[Editor’s note: Our capable editor-at-large for footwear Jeroen van Geelen owns Total Running, one of the more important running and triathlon retail establishments in The Netherlands.]