copyright infringement
the store is profiting off a copyrighted song title (presumably) without permission
copyright infringement
the store is profiting off a copyrighted song title (presumably) without permission
I appreciate everyone's posts and that there is a discussion started about Born to Run. This store is in fact, owned by me and my business partner Barefoot Ted McDonald. All of which, information can be found at
.
I am excited to be in the Bellevue area with our store. I guess we will see who has the last laugh about the minimalist shoe movement. You can only guess where I place my bets. It is interesting that there is so much discussion by those who haven't been in the store yet. Let me make a formal invitation for you to come into the store and see what it is all about.
Keep the discussion up, I think this is great. Thanks Debbie for your support as well.
I thought stores were supposed to make money to stay in business. How do you plan on making money when you ignore the 99% of runners who run in normal trainers. Is the NW really such a hotspot of barefoot running?
The subheading on the website cracks me up though: the barefoot shoe store. Do you want to run barefoot? Well then let us sell you some shoes.
I would like to answer your questions, but first I would again like to invite you to come into the store to see what it's all about.
Born to Run is all about educating people on what barefoot/minimalist running is all about and to put them in the right shoes for it. We teach people the benefits of minimalist shoes and how to run in a more efficient, less injury provoking way. This education includes why the traditional trainer that most people run in promotes an unnatural running form that causes knee, hip, and back injuries, as well just a generally unpleasant way to run. We believe people are not born with messed up feet, but rather shoes have messed up peoples feet. We believe that allowing the foot to move in a way that nature intended than you can not only run with more efficiency and joy, but that you can overcome many common running injuries.
Also, the Northwest really is such a hotspot for barefoot running. A Runner's World article said that minimalist shoes make up 10% of the the $5 billion dollar running shoes market and that it is only going to get bigger. Last I checked I am one of only a few stores that specialize in minimalist shoes targeting the apparent $500 million minimalist running shoe market. I like those odds :)
The subtitle of store is suppose to make you think, what is a barefoot shoe? Well, a barefoot shoe is a shoe that allows your foot to move as if you were barefoot.
Here is the link to the Runner's World article which I highly recommend reading:
www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-400--13691-2-1X2X3X4X5X6X7X8-9,00.html
Also, here is a link to a page I have on my website called Barefoot Running 101:
Thanks for your posts Dan. As I said, I am not a minimalist guy although I do run barefoot on the treadmill 3-5 miles/wk to strengthen my feet. Here is another link, a running times article from about 2 years ago that made me think twice about minimalism. Interesting stuff about Newtons in here.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=15751
Especially compelling was the segment about the MD who thought he was going to have to quit running in his mid-30's due to foot problems. He revamped his form and came back to run 2:34 marathon.
BTW you are Merrell dealer, right? I hope you get the new Merrell 'Trail Glove.' If so I will be buying a pair from you. Again, good luck with your store.
I don't know how 'lords pollster' got in there--its towhee, the OP.
Good luck Dan!
emerald nuts to you wrote:
I thought stores were supposed to make money to stay in business. How do you plan on making money when you ignore the 99% of runners who run in normal trainers. Is the NW really such a hotspot of barefoot running?
The subheading on the website cracks me up though: the barefoot shoe store. Do you want to run barefoot? Well then let us sell you some shoes.
You sound like Bill Gates who famously said (or is it apocryphal?) "Why would anyone want a personal computer?" Still, I guess he did well enough even though he certainly lacked the vision thing.
Dan - best of luck. I believe these stores can be successful in the right markets.
There is one thing I don't really understand about this minimalist movement. When I looked at all the prices of these minimalist shoes they were completely ridiculous. I thought the point of barefoot running was to simply and stick it to the corporate shoe companies (ie Nike). For the price of one pair or Newtons or invivo, I could buy three pairs of Nike Free. I love that the minimalist movement has coaches to teach me how to simplify my running and different types of barefoot running shoes for each type of condition I run. When I have run barefoot (which I have done on occasion for years) I go barefoot. No special equipment necessary.
Thanks for the support Lords, dean, and middle professor! I really liked that article you posted lords pollster. That definitely demonstrates what this movement is really about. And yes we are a Merrell dealer and I have a larege order in for the trail glove, so as soon as it is available we should have some.
@cheap ass: I understand your concern about expensive minimalist shoes. The truth is that most of the minimalist running shoes are right on the mark with typical running shoes. Although some are a little more costly. The reason the Vivo Barefoot are more costly is because they decided as a company that they wanted to get there investment back for the product development they did for the Evo. I am told that early next year production costs are going down and they will start retailing for cheaper. But regardless of whether or not they drop their price, the value of the Evo and Evo II is in the fact that they can handle 1,000 miles of running or more verses 300 to 400 miles of a typical running shoe. I would much rather pay $160 for 1 pair of shoes over a thousand miles than pay $300 for 3 pairs of shoes over a 1,000 miles.
To be honest, I am not really sure why the Newton's are so expensive, but some people swear by their shoes. I am personally a fan not having any cushioning at all. The Newton's however do have a 0 differential in the heel, and they support the natural running form we promote. Because they have some cushioning they are a great transition shoe for those that want to learn how to run with better form, but don't want to take the leap that requires a slower transition.
As for sticking it to Nike, that really isn't the point. The point is that we can learn to run a lot more efficiently and with less injuries with the right training and with products that support a natural running style. Nike was the first shoe company to come out with a product that was marketed as barefoot like, even if it was imperfect. Nike is very aware of the minimalist running movement and I'm confident that they are going to improve their minimalist products to meet the customers demands of what a minimalist shoe should be. If it sounds like I am endorsing Nike because I will be carrying their products soon, that is 100% true. My first experience with barefoot/minimalist running shoes was with the Nike Free's because I had been buying Nike shoes for a long time and really liked them. I have progressed to more minimalist shoes, but a lot of people will transition into the barefoot movement with products like the Nike Free's, which is why I want to carry them.
Hello Dan-
I will be in Seattle until mid-late January this winter. Any chance you will have Feelmax in stock by then? And will you carry the Kuuva boot?
Dear Mr. Fairbanks
I have to write a paper for my science class.
Can you help me with these questions?
What is the most efficient way to run?
Can you point me to a scientific article that demonstrates that a particular way of running is more efficient?
thanks and good luck with the store!
Jeff
I guess I'm missing something about running barefoot if there is a barefoot shoe store.
Mr. Fairbanks,
Do you know any runners who are running 80-100 miles per week in only minimalist shoes. It seems like the people I've met who wear minimalist shoes are running only 2-3 days a week or less then 30 miles per week. Not being critical, just want to hear experiences of folks who have logged high mileage consistently over a long period of time in these shoes. Thanks.
Hot Coworker... wrote:
Who wants to bet this store is shuttered in fewer than 6 months?
What a horrible idea.
Those Seattlites snap up that new-age crock like none other. The only other place this store would succeed is Portland! If you want to sell a product in the pacific northwest, just claim it is "natural" and/or "environmentally friendly" and it'll fly off the shelves.
Which makes me wonder why it's in Bellevue instead of Seattle.
fasdfsadf wrote:
Hot Coworker... wrote:Who wants to bet this store is shuttered in fewer than 6 months?
What a horrible idea.
Those Seattlites snap up that new-age crock like none other. The only other place this store would succeed is Portland! If you want to sell a product in the pacific northwest, just claim it is "natural" and/or "environmentally friendly" and it'll fly off the shelves.
I will be ordering Feelmax soon, but I can't make any promises they will be in before you leave in January. Apparently, they are having some organizational issues and it's really hard to know what I can get and when I can get it for the Born to Run store.
My advice would be to just keeping checking back on the website at
or to join our facebook page where I post the most recent products we have at
I would check out these websites to get some more information for your science paper:
www.fas.harvard.edu/~skeleton/danlhome.html
barefootrunninguniversity.com/
www.newtonrunning.com/run-better/natural-running-styles?gclid=CIXL2LrY6qUCFQUSbAodR1P9nw
www.newtonrunning.com/newton-products/books-dvds/natural-running-book
[quote]barefoot student wrote:
Round Mound wrote:
Mr. Fairbanks,
Do you know any runners who are running 80-100 miles per week in only minimalist shoes. It seems like the people I've met who wear minimalist shoes are running only 2-3 days a week or less then 30 miles per week. Not being critical, just want to hear experiences of folks who have logged high mileage consistently over a long period of time in these shoes. Thanks.
Patrick Sweeney
Anton krupicka
So Michael and Jessie (Co-Authors of Barefoot Running)were pedaling their book at the Running Event in Austin last month. Their interaction with the various vendors were borderline creepy. Michael was a bit more over the top than Jessie, but they basically were going from vendor to vendor with their book asking for free stuff talking about how they would demo it and then blog about it. One vendor is pretty interested as not only did they get a decent deal on some product but they actually helped themselves (see took without asking) to an additional piece. This industry is quite small Michael, don't make enemies. We got quite the entertainment value out of a $22 MSRP shrinkage!