Newton Energy NR Review

Newton Running is a shoe company based on Colorado that produces shoes designed to enhance natural, more efficient running. If you actively follow the running scene on Twitter and / or Facebook, then you are probably familiar with Newton's numerous campaigns and running form clinics that they hold around the country. After hearing about the soon-to-be-released [and now currently available] Newton Energy NR, which would be their most affordable shoe to date, I decided to reach out to Newton to see if Jordan and I could wear test this model. Newton was extremely generous and sent Jordan and I the Newton Energy NR and the MV3 [review forthcoming next week] to review for our blog.




The Specs
The following is a description of the Newton Energy NR from the Newton Running website:

Weight: 8.6oz
Heel-to-toe drop: 6mm

Upper

• Comfortable/breathable air mesh with minimal support strapping overlays
• 3D reflective back tab

Outersole

• High-traction 5-lug forefoot pattern
• High-density rubber in heel and toe area
Highly cushioned blown rubber midfoot pod

Midsole

• Action/Reaction^TM technology in the midfoot
• High-rebound EVA
• Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
• Accommodates most orthotics

- See more at: http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/men-energy-trainer-citron#sthash.1KU4QX13.dpuf

• Weight • 9

• Heel-to-toe drop • 6mm

• Upper

  • Comfortable/breathable air mesh with minimal support strapping overlays
  • 3D reflective back tab

• Outersole

  • High-traction 5-lug forefoot pattern
  • High-density rubber in heel and toe area
  Highly cushioned blown rubber midfoot pod

• Midsole

  • Action/Reaction^TM technology in the midfoot
  • High-rebound EVA
  • Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
  • Accommodates most orthotics

- See more at: http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/men-energy-trainer-citron#sthash.1KU4QX13.dpuf

• Weight • 9

• Heel-to-toe drop • 6mm

• Upper

  • Comfortable/breathable air mesh with minimal support strapping overlays
  • 3D reflective back tab

• Outersole

  • High-traction 5-lug forefoot pattern
  • High-density rubber in heel and toe area
  Highly cushioned blown rubber midfoot pod

• Midsole

  • Action/Reaction^TM technology in the midfoot
  • High-rebound EVA
  • Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
  • Accommodates most orthotics

- See more at: http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/men-energy-trainer-citron#sthash.1KU4QX13.dpuf

• Weight • 9

• Heel-to-toe drop • 6mm

• Upper

  • Comfortable/breathable air mesh with minimal support strapping overlays
  • 3D reflective back tab

• Outersole

  • High-traction 5-lug forefoot pattern
  • High-density rubber in heel and toe area
  Highly cushioned blown rubber midfoot pod

• Midsole

  • Action/Reaction^TM technology in the midfoot
  • High-rebound EVA
  • Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
  • Accommodates most orthotics

- See more at: http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/men-energy-trainer-citron#sthash.1KU4QX13.dpuf

• Weight • 9

• Heel-to-toe drop • 6mm

• Upper

  • Comfortable/breathable air mesh with minimal support strapping overlays
  • 3D reflective back tab

• Outersole

  • High-traction 5-lug forefoot pattern
  • High-density rubber in heel and toe area
  Highly cushioned blown rubber midfoot pod

• Midsole

  • Action/Reaction^TM technology in the midfoot
  • High-rebound EVA
  • Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
  • Accommodates most orthotics

- See more at: http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/men-energy-trainer-citron#sthash.1KU4QX13.dpuf

• Weight • 9

• Heel-to-toe drop • 6mm

• Upper

  • Comfortable/breathable air mesh with minimal support strapping overlays
  • 3D reflective back tab

• Outersole

  • High-traction 5-lug forefoot pattern
  • High-density rubber in heel and toe area
  Highly cushioned blown rubber midfoot pod

• Midsole

  • Action/Reaction^TM technology in the midfoot
  • High-rebound EVA
  • Biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate
  • Accommodates most orthotics

- See more at: http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/men-energy-trainer-citron#sthash.1KU4QX13.dpuf

THE GOOD

Jordan:

Introduction: The Energy NR is a paradoxically pleasant shoe. It is the most cushioned shoe I have ever run in, yet it affords me a sensation of the ground that I typically only get with more minimal shoes. Newton went to extra lengths to make this shoe as approachable as possible by upping the heel to toe drop, widening the mid-foot, and keeping the level of cushion relatively high. I like the way Newton shoes fit in general anyway, and the Energy NR is no exception. Further, keeping things wide through the mid-foot is a-ok with me since I have lower arches and feet on the wide side.  
 

From NewtonRunning.com. Note the cushion.

Overview / Specs: This shoe is light weight and flexible, which for me, are on the top of the priority list. I am  rather impressed, truth be told, by how flexible the shoe is considering the level of cushioning. I have shoes which have both less outsole rubber and less cushioning but somehow still manage to by stiffer than the Energy NR.
One highlight for this shoe is the metatarsal sensor plate which appears in all Newton shoes (outsole lugs/sensor plates are to Newton what the Batarang is to Batman. It’s a functional calling card). The sensor plate beneath the 5 lugs in the forefoot rather effectively serves to provide your feet with more feed back from the ground and makes the shoe stand out from others in its category. The paradox is that at once the shoe is highly cushioned, yet gives you a good sense of the ground beneath you (a must for those of us who like a more minimal shoe) allowing for more nuanced changes in form throughout the gait cycle. 

From NewtonRunning.Com. Note the 5 lugs.

 

I think simplicity in a shoe is important, and too much extra shoe “technology” immediately gives me pause. But Newton seems to be able to strike the balance. Unlike the Brooks PureFlow 2 which also put quite of bit of technology on display, the technology in the Energy NR appears to be much more functional.
 

Joshua:   
Initial experience: Without reiterating some of the more technical details that Jordan outlined above, I will start out by saying that I have long been a skeptic of Newton running shoes. The idea of a shoe that has lugs only in the front part of the sole seems incredibly awkward to me. When I first put on the shoe, walking felt a bit uncomfortable since I felt like I was falling back on my heel with each step. As skeptical as I was, I decided to go on a run in them. 
 


Boy, oh, boy! That first mile felt so strange!!! I could literally feel the difference between running in a shoe with lugs in the front part of the sole compared to runs in other shoes. BUT… after about a mile, the odd sensation went away and I have not noticed it since. In fact, that first run was one of the smoothest runs I had had up to that point in my running. It felt like I was running with a pillow under my foot, yet, as Jordan mentioned, the sensation of the ground was still palpable. Paradoxical, indeed.
 
Insole / Ground Feel: Unlike most of the people that have reviewed the Newton Energy NR on the Web, I decided to keep the insoles in my shoes. I like the squishy feeling, and I don't think it interferes with my running. Since where I live has a few gnarly hills, I have found that the insole provides the perfect balance between ground feel when I'm crushing out miles on the flat sections of my runs or cruising downhill on pavement for minutes at a time. I find that my stride is more compact and my cadence is quicker in this shoe compared to my other shoes, and I think that is because I have adjusted based on the sensation of the five lugs that Jordan discusses above. This is a good thing!
 
The weight of the shoe isn't a problem for me. It feels extremely light to me!
 
100 Miles Later: I have now run over 100 miles in my Energy NR, and it one of the few shoes that I have owned in which my calf muscles are NEVER sore after runs of any length or speed. I am not really sure what to attribute to this phenomenon since this shoe would seem to require that I run more with a mid-foot / front-foot strike, which engages the calf muscle more than a heel-strike. The outsole seems to be holding up well, but the lugs do show a bit of wear. Almost all of the wear on the shoe is in the front-foot, which corroborates my feeling that I am running with a more fore-foot strike in this shoe. I think I can wear these shoes for another 250-300 miles.
 
Price: Most Newton shoes are pretty darn expensive, which is one of the reasons I have not been able to try them up to this point. Thankfully, the Newton Energy NR is reasonably priced at MSRP $119.00. If you find coupon codes on the internet for, say, Runnignwarehouse.com, you can sneak away with this shoe for about $105.00 for a workhorse of a shoe.
 
Colors: I am a huge fan of the bright yellow since I do a lot of my running when it is dark out! They also have a model in blue and black for men, as well as some vibrant colors for women.
 
Sizing: These shoes run true to size for me. I am basically a men's size 8.5 in every brand except for Saucony (men's size 9.0), and the Newton Energy NR fits very comfortably on my foot in the men's size 8.5.
 
The Bad



Jordan
  Insole: I honestly did not like the shoe when I first laced them up. I felt like I was falling out them, they were too squishy, and the 6mm heel drop was more than I typically run in and felt excessive. I felt too far from the ground. I took them for a short walk and confirmed that they were pretty squishy and that I could not seem to lace them up in a way that felt like they were on my foot securely. 
 
I did a little digging and found others who were experiencing similar first impressions. I took some advice from Pete over at Runblogger.com and swapped the insoles in the Energy NR with the flat insoles from my Skechers GoRun 2 and voila! Almost all my problems were solved. My foot sat in the shoe in a much more secure way. Swapping the insole improved the ground feel, scaled back the the cushioning to a less billowy level, and reduced the drop to a level that I really like.
 
Price: The price point for these shoes is a bit steep at $119, but is much cheaper than most of the shoes in Newton’s line up. I would like to see a shoe like this closer to the vicinity of the $100 neighborhood. Weight: One minor point; at 8.6 oz in a men’s 9 this shoe is no heavy weight, but I think the mid-foot outsole rubber is a bit unnecessary and therefore contributes unnecessary weight. Ideally I would love to see this shoe come down under the 8 oz mark.

Joshua  
Fatigue: The first 30 miles that I ran in these shoes I found to be quite fatiguing. My legs were just tired after about 2 or so miles, and the rest of the run would kind of feel like a struggle. So, I did not run in them again for almost 1.5 months. I then started developing shin splints 1.5 months ago, and I decided to give this shoe another try. Much to my surprise and somewhat embarrassment, I realized that I had probably tied the shoe too tight originally! [I am one of those people that only ties a shoe once…ever….] I loosened my laces, and the fatigue in the legs went away! *cue embarrassing music* 
 
So, my suggestion is to make sure you do not have your shoes tied too tight. This really isn't a "Con" as much as it is user-error.
 
Durability: I think this shoe should last up to 300-400 miles, but I cannot say that with 100% confidence. There seems to be quite a bit of wear on the middle lugs after 100 miles, specifically on the left sole with the lug for the middle metatarsal. Other than that, the rest of the shoe looks pretty darn good for 100 HARD road miles!!

Right foot, 100 miles later: Looking good!

Left food, 100 miles later: Showing signs of wear.

Conclusion:
Jordan: Once the insole was replaced by a thin flat one, the Newton Energy NR became my most reliable long run shoe. My runs in the shoe have ranged from 3 to 12 miles and if I were going to race a half or full marathon tomorrow, this would be my shoe of choice. I personally think it is a bit too much shoe for shorter distances (5K or 10K), but I wouldn’t rule it out if your used to a shoe in this category anyway. Newton succeeded in making an approachable. If the number of Newton’s I’m starting to see around town and at races are any indication, they are certainly making inroads with runners. I recommend that runners keep an eye on Newton’s offerings and expect more good things to come.
 
Joshua: Once I loosened the laces, the Newton Energy NR has become for me what it has become for Jordan: it is the most reliable shoe in my stable currently. Having completed runs from a fast 1 miler to 18 miles in this shoe, I would feel confident racing in the shoe at any distance. It is light enough and responsive enough to run fast for a 5k and enough cushion, along with the 4mm drop, to cruise at a comfortable pace for a few hours. To be honest, the Newton Energy NR is an incredibly versatile shoe! I will be racing in the Newton Energy NR as I attempt to sneak under 20 minutes at my next 5k in two weeks. I've had some FAST runs in these shoes, too: 8 miles at a sub-7 min pace, and I ran my first sub-6 min mile in them last week. :-)
 
Overall, we highly recommend what I am sure will be known as one of the top running shoes of 2013. Well done, Newton! We look forward to seeing what shoes you make in the future.

Be on the lookout for our review of the Newton Energy MV3 soon!