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The First Appearance of Women-Specific Running Shoes

Movin' Shoes 9 November, 2011

Karl Harter, the owner of Movin’ Shoes, has been in the running business since the 70’s and has seen and experienced many changes in the industry. One of our employees (and early customers of Movin’ Shoes), Pat, asked Karl when women-specific shoes appeared in the market. Enjoy Karl’s thoughts on the subject!

As best as I can recall, the first women’s running shoes were probably the Nike Lady Waffle Trainer in it’s signature color, yellow with a blue swoosh, and the Nike Lady Cortez, which had a leather upper and was white with a blue swoosh, both were introduced in 1978. Nike was also the first company to make a track spike in women’s sizes.

Other brands followed Nike’s lead but the real innovation came in the early 80’s. The first models of womens running shoes were built on a mens shoe last and scaled down in size (shoe lasts are very expensive to make, costs for a last can be $250,000 so it’s more economical to scale down a mens last than create a whole new womens last) and the ratios of sizing, i.e. the ratio of heel width to forefoot width, length of arch, etc, remained the same, so essentially womens shoes were mens shoes only in smaller sizes. The most common complaint was heel slippage because the ratio of heel to forefoot is different in women than in men and even though the shoe was a womens sz 8, the heel was often too wide.

In the mid 1980’s Nike developed a womens last for it’s Womens shoes. I don’t remember the first model to carry this innovation but it greatly improved fit and comfort and everyone else in the industry followed Nike’s lead. In general women have a narrower heel to forefoot ratio (they may be an A width in the heel but a B width in the forefoot) and the new womens sizing accommodated for this, it also incorporated other variations in the shape and size of the foot. In the old days most female runners ran in mens shoes; the size difference was approximately 1 1/2 sizes, so if a woman came in and said she was a size 9 in a womans shoe we sold here a mens 71/2. Today we almost never sell a woman a mens shoes because of the vast improvement in womens models and the expansion in sizing.

Nowadays Asics is at the front of pack, they’ve refined the science to include bunion windows (biomorphic fit) and because of anatomical differences they actually cushion the womens shoes differently than the mens, so the cushion in a womens Gel Nimbus is not exactly the same as in a mens model. They are also trying to accommodate for the fact that a woman’s foot changes during her menstrual cycle and this affects her stride and her strike pattern, they also believe the pronation pattern in women is different than in men and that women in general pronate later in their gait, so the emphasis on slowing the rate of pronation should be shifted toward the mid or forefoot, hence the Gel 3000 series.

Nike has always been the leader in running footwear, they’ve dumped more money into R&D than any other company, they were making minimalist shoes 25 years ago, way ahead of the curve, they’re a huge global company with over $20 billion a year in sales, they do whatever they want (remember the Shox, where did that go?), they’ve had big hits and some misses, however, when it comes to innovation, whether it’s technical in terms of materials or technical in terms of concept – like hey, let’s make a womens running shoe that might actually fit a woman’s foot – from an historical perspective, Nike is almost always the first place to look.

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Some BIG performances this weekend from Movin' Emp Some BIG performances this weekend from Movin' Employees ⚡

@brittadubs ran a stellar race at the Ice Age 50 miler✌️Braved through miles of heat to make it to those post race beers 🍻

@margaretrosss and TK raced through the streets of Stoughton in the Syttende Mai 10 miler 🌞 Margaret scored a win 💛

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Look who came to visit 👀 #movinpaws Look who came to visit 👀 

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Now through Mother's Day (5/8) Theragun is running a deal on all Theraguns in stock at Movin' Shoes!

🌟 Theragun Prime is $50 off
🌞Theragun Mini is $40 off

We have a feeling your mother would definitely appreciate this type of gift💙

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Karl Harter's Full Moon 5k is back 🐺 Just imagi Karl Harter's Full Moon 5k is back 🐺 Just imagine insects chirping, the full moon shining down on you, wolves howling in the distance, and you running around the bay- what a way to spend a summer night!

Race Details ⬇️
- July 28th 
- 6pm pre-race party at Bernie's Beach
- 8:15pm kids race (400 yards)
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*Event is limited to 500 participants, be sure to register early! Link to register in bio.

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Well... It's TK's birthday 🎉 The story teller, Well... It's TK's birthday 🎉 The story teller, coach, and buddy to everyone. 

The age old question arises on this big day, is the man in the mural TK? Swipe to see a reference photo of TK. 

If you stop in the store today, be sure to wish TK a very happy birthday!

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A pile of super shoes to remind you that spring ra A pile of super shoes to remind you that spring races are around the corner 👀 

If you haven't tried a super shoe yet, I dare you to come check them out. 

Shoes pictured:
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Nike Vaporfly Next% 2
Saucony Endorphin Pro 2
Brooks Hyperion Elite 2

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We are looking for a new buddy to join our team! D We are looking for a new buddy to join our team! Do you like running? Eating pizza? What about giving treats to dogs? If this sounds like you, it might be a great idea to apply for a job at Movin' Shoes!

We are ideally looking for someone that is passionate about running and that has availability from 2pm-8pm on weekdays and some weekend availability. 

Application to work in bio 🔗 

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We are proud to partner with Badger Challenge ( fo We are proud to partner with Badger Challenge ( formerly known as The Ride) in 2022! Badger Challenge is walking, running, and biking event raising money for cancer research at the University of Wisconsin. All participant raised funds go directly to cancer research and patient treatment initiatives. All walk and run participants will receive an exclusive discount for a pair of new shoes emailed to them the day after they register. Bring your email into the store and we'll set you up with a new pair of shoes! 

To learn more about the event and to register, visit their website: badgerchallenge.org

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Vote Movin' Shoes for Best of Madison! Voting star Vote Movin' Shoes for Best of Madison! Voting starts today and runs through April 30th. 

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The Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 has joined the super s The Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 has joined the super shoe fam at the shop ⚡

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New shoe on the wall, the Mizuno Wave Rebellion. C New shoe on the wall, the Mizuno Wave Rebellion. Created to run fast⚡

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Ciele hats are fully stocked. Crafted for runs in Ciele hats are fully stocked. Crafted for runs in the sun and for postrun beer on the patio 🔆 Come check them out! 

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