So UnderArmor just came out with shoes...

Can anyone name the top 5 running shoe brands in the US overall in order? I only mention that because several of the biggies have not even been mentioned. I'll start it off, because this one's a gimme:

1. Nike

2.

3.

4.

5.

Running specialty or just running? There's a difference. I'll take a crack at it...

Overall running:

1) Nike

2) Adidas

3) New Balance

4) Asics

5) Reebok

Running specialty:

1) Asics

2) Brooks

3) Nike

4) Saucony

5) Mizuno

sunglasses for $155 - what a joke

I agree people were turned off from Fila because of there name and past history. But the Flow series had serious faults.

-They lost all traction in rain, there arguement that the flow tech gives you full contact from heel to toe is great but only if the contact allowes you to go in the direction you want.

-Hot spot through out the lacing system was a killer. I would expect that AU will spend the money to correct this problem. People in our running group complained about it a mile in. So this will reach your normal athlete because a mile run is not very far.

-High arch's cute down on the market we could sell too. I will say some women loved them but they didn't use the flow tech because they ran on their fourfoot.

Positive

-The flow system was easy to tell about but all guidance system are real simple to understand and explain.

former shoe slinger wrote:

Running specialty or just running? There's a difference.

Good point. I was talking overall running but I like what you did there with the two separate lists and think we should keep that rolling.

I could see UA cracking the top 5 in running overall, but I have my doubts about top 5 in running specialty. Guess we'll see! That's a tough nut to crack, Nike is #6 there. Depends on their focus.

Last I'd seen running specialty went like this:

1. Nike

2. Asics

3. Brooks

4. Mizuno

5. Saucony

6. New Balance

7. adidas

8. Reebok

.

.

.Fila, Pearl Izumo, etc. rounding out the rest.

I'm pretty sure that those top three kind of went back and forth (It may be that its Asics, Brooks, Nike). Nike still does extremely well in specialty though, believe it or not. When they came out with the Vomero they were rocking and rolling.

I agree nike vomero is big time.

1. Nike

2. Asics

3. Brooks

4. New Balance

5. Saucony

6. Mizuno

7. Adidas

Saucony has made a great push and I think after 2009 they will be where I have Brooks. New Balance still seems to have the market with width even thou all the other brands offer wides and narrows. My question is why has adidas fallen so far. It use to be the big three adidas, reebok, nike and before nike it was new balance. Now it is the big one Nike. owns specialty and big store

I call BS with those numbers. No way Nike is number one. Asics has three of the top five selling shoes in running specialty: GT-21XX, Kayano, and Nimbus. Asics blows Nike out of the water in shoe sales. If you want to add in apparel it might be a little closer, but Asics will still be ahead.

If you want to go with total volume across all retailers (including big box and outlets) then Nike will probably trounce Asics in number of "technical running shoe" sales. But if we're talking running specialty accounts, Asics is number one, no question.

You only see the outside of the shell when it comes to nike in the specialty.

Asics may have them on in store sales but when it comes to team sales through specialty asics is nikes bitch. So we look at all distribution through specialty store not just instore sales which, throws the #'s and as nike gets stronger like they are it will be said and done. Also you are not looking at spikes shoes which, no one in their right mind will say asics is near them. most store will sale 10prs of spikes to 1pr of asics and that is if the store carries asics spikes.

I was one of the handful who really liked the Fila offerings, and I was very skeptical at first as one who has had great success with ASICS, Diadora, and middling success with Nike, Saucony, etc. Traction never became a problem for me with that flat sole, not even in rain, snow, or ice. I was bummed to see Fila drop their running line, it seemed like a really promising rebirth for them. Looking at the UA line, the shoe that probably would come closest for me is priced $10 over the Fila shoe I liked and that one is at the low end of the UA line, the rest are a lot more. For the same price or less I could keep myself in Mizuno Elixirs and stick with a company that actually supports the sport.

So was watching Raw the other night. John Cena was wearing under armour trainers.