Published: August 02, 2011

Run Better. Run Faster. Run Farther.

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SALT LAKE CITY - (BUSINESS WIRE) - ALTRA Footwear, innovators of the revolutionary Zero Drop shoe, introduces the first line of footwear to combine the bio-mechanical advantages of barefoot positioning with the structure and protection of traditional cushioning.

The new line, which debuts at Outdoor Retailer 2011 Summer Market, is the first ever to combine Zero Drop, fully cushioned, foot-shaped and gender-specific features. The line includes core running shoes, outdoor shoes and minimalist shoes to help men and women move faster, farther and more naturally.

The shoe's groundbreaking design places the foot in its most powerful and stable positioning, leading to less injuries and greater speed. Because of the full cushioning and durable outsole, runners can also expect to run much greater distances than with other barefoot-positioning shoes.

Zero Drop

ALTRA Footwear introduces the first-ever Zero Drop, fully cushioned, foot-shaped, gender-specific shoes to combine all four features. The new line combines the bio-mechanical advantages of barefoot positioning with the structure and protection of traditional cushioned shoes. (Photo: Business Wire)

The founders of ALTRA are former All-American runners, triathletes, and ultra-marathoners. Two of them managed the Runner's Corner in Orem, Utah, which became influential at a national level by taking a personal interest in helping runners run better.

The young innovators created the zero-drop shoe category by working with a local cobbler to cut out the elevated heel of traditional running shoes. They glued the soles back together to create shoes that were the same distance off the ground at the heel and forefoot, therefore having no "drop" from heel to toe. The store had thousands of customers who bought new shoes, took them to the cobbler and paid an average of $30 for the alteration. The innovation of "AL-tered shoes" and the founders' ul-TRA marathoner status provided the inspiration for the ALTRA brand name.

Nearly all running shoe midsoles have a "2-to-1 ratio," meaning the heel of the shoe is elevated twice as high as the forefoot. Over time, "running in high heels" can cause a range of injuries.

By removing the heel, ALTRA's founders created shoes that allowed the foot to sit level with the ground, without a drop from heel to toe, and with that, Zero Drop footwear was born.

Among the biggest benefits to ALTRA's Zero Drop shoes is the shift in running posture. Most runners have become "heel strikers," landing with a straight, extended knee because an elevated heel causes the foot to reach the ground early, slowing the forward momentum of the body. This early ground-strike means the knee does not have time to properly bend to absorb the body's impact. A Harvard study shows that landing with a heel strike causes initial impact three to five times greater than landing on the mid- to forefoot. Heel strikers frequently complain of foot pain, but also knee, hip and back pain, as the impact reverberates through the body with each footfall.

With a flat-bottomed, ALTRA Zero Drop shoe, the foot is unencumbered by an elevated heel, so the body's running posture shifts forward. The runner's stride is naturally cushioned because the body lands on a bent knee on the midfoot or forefoot.

With improved running position, the runner's stride gets more efficient, meaning greater foot turnover and speed with the same effort. Foot efficiency is also increased with, literally, a lighter shoe. ALTRA's Zero Drop shoes are 8.8 ounces for men and 8.1 for women, nearly 20% lighter than current popular running shoes.

Fully Cushioned

ALTRA shoes are unique in the marketplace because they combine a zero drop sole and barefoot foot positioning with the structure and cushioning of a traditional running shoe. ALTRA's core running and trail shoes come with a complete three-layer cushioning system: a full rubber outsole, a 12 mm fully cushioned midsole, and a 5 mm insole. In total, ALTRA's 21 mm cushioning is on par with durable training shoes and provides two to five times the protection of a typical minimalist shoe. ALTRA shoes durable are enough for runners to train and complete even ultra marathons in the same pair.

ALTRA shoes eschew the standard mix of rubber and EVA for their outsole. Instead, they offer a full rubber outsole, which offers excellent stability and far more durability than EVA outsoles. The sleek sole enables runners to sense the ground under their feet, without interference.

Runners with ALTRA shoes have placed in the top three at multiple ultra marathons in the last year, including Kat'Cina Mosa 100K, Antelope Island 100K, and the Buffalo Run 50K. Runners with ALTRA shoes have also placed well in 100-mile races, including the Wasatch 100 Miler, Western States 100 and a win at the Laramie 100.

Foot-Shaped

ALTRA shoes are shaped like healthy feet. The shoes' natural foot shape also contains a Morton's toe allowance, meaning it accommodates those with a longer second toe. The toes subsequently relax and give sufficient room to the big toe, which provides not only greater foot stability, but also increased toe-off for better forward propulsion. Some minimalist and virtually all traditional running shoes contain a pointed, triangular toe box, which pushes the toes together and causes the foot to destabilize and over-pronate.

Gender-Specific

ALTRA is the only running shoe company to offer fully gender-specific footwear lasts for both men and women. Women's feet have narrower heels, higher arches, and different forefoot positioning and ALTRA's Zero Drop shoes are built on the appropriate lasts to accommodate those differences.

The ALTRA Instinct (for men) and Intuition (for women) running shoes retail for $99 at www.AltraFootwear.com

About ALTRA Footwear

ALTRA is exhibiting at the Outdoor Retailer 2011 Summer Market in Booth number 38160. ALTRA Footwear was founded in 2009 and acquired in March 2011 by ICON Health & Fitness, the leading innovator and manufacturer of fitness products, including FreeMotion Fitness for the clubs. ICON leads the home fitness market with company-owned brands such as ProForm, NordicTrack, Weider, iFit Live powered by Google Maps, HealthRider and Weslo. ICON's licensed brands include Gold's Gym, Jillian Michaels and Reebok. ICON is headquartered in Logan, Utah.

Retailers

For new account information and to place orders for immediate and future shipments, please contact Brian Beckstead at brian@altrafootwear.com or 801.473.5596

Media

For information and photos contact Colleen Logan, VP Marketing at clogan@iconfitness.com or 435.757.4601.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6816823&lang=en