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New Balance 900

3 user reviews of New Balance 900 See all

Overall reader score

HM4

A really nice light shoe. Wish I'd got them sooner! Continue reading...

woz 2

I will probably look at a similar pair overthe next few weeks Continue reading...

nrkintheuk

Great lightweight shoes, superb for longer distance racing Continue reading...

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Anna Harris 4

I recently purchased a pair of NB 900s thinking that they are light enough to give a psychological...and perhaps physical advantage for the marathon. They are breaking in very well but I am becoming worried that they may not provide enough cushioning to get me through the 26.2 miles without doing serious damage or ruining my chances of hitting target (3:15) due to injury during the race. My legs have been feeling sore after a 10+ mile run in them, but this may just be due to the very intense period of training I am in.

Are these suitable marathon shoes? Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Posted: 17/03/2005 at 18:55

Big C

They are a good lightweight shoe for fast, efficient runners. I like them because I'm a forefoot striker, and a subscriber to the view that one should rely on good technique to absorb shock (search the forums for Gordon Pirie and you'll see what I mean). I recently did a 17 miler in them and I have to admit that as I got tired and lost technique, then they felt thinner than some other shoes I've worn. Having said that, I think they are fantastic for fast 10 mile runs, which suggests that they may be a good marathon racer, which will save you a few minutes but at the price of less shock protection and hence possibly greater injury risk. Of course you could always go to the IOC website and watch the video of the barefoot marathon win in Rome..........

Posted: 19/03/2005 at 14:41

nrkintheuk

I asked the guy in the NB factory shop for a pair of lightweights suitable for marathon distance & he recommended the 900s or the 834s. I've ran 2 halves in them so far & found them fine - 2pbs in fact!

Posted: 19/03/2005 at 16:02

tallbird

I've got some of these, but have only worn them up to 10k - and find even that pretty hard on my legs.

But each to their own I suppose.

And they do make me feel like I am running faster, even if I'm not :)

Posted: 19/03/2005 at 21:46

David Bennett 2

I find that they feel quite hard. In fact they are actually quite soft to my mind, but blow through their cushioning very quickly and then don't compress much more.
It seems to be a rapidly rising force at the end. However I could be wrong about that.... I find them OK for 10K, but struggle with them after that. My wave riders aren't much heavier and 'feel' more cushioned throughout a longer run.

I might try their performance trainers next...

As Tallbird says, each to their own...

Posted: 21/03/2005 at 12:34

Gilbert Webster

I also find that the NB 900 could not last a marathon,as I found that the sole of the trainers was breaking up and NB did send me a replace pair but still the results go on short runs. I have used Nike's and Mizuno and was able to do my weekend training in them and still be able to do marathon.I have also tried the NB 1023 and found the same results that the cushion on the sole do not last know than about 150 miles. I will be using Mizuno wavers for my marathon.

Posted: 21/03/2005 at 13:12

groovy

I bought some with the intention of doing marathon but don't like them at all. Now trying to decide between Nike Air Miler and Ascics Ds trainers.
Always try your intended trainers on at least one long run that should help you decide if they are right for you

Posted: 21/03/2005 at 14:55

Big Tim

The NB900 are some of the best shoes I've ever trained in, did all my long runs in them leading up to Amsterdam marathon last year.
Really wore well & just brought my second pair.
I'd recommend them for the marathon, although I raced in the Nike Spectrum's at 212g, my legs felt no worse than in other marathon's where I've worn racer/trainers.

I'd say I'm pretty much good with my bio-mechanics though :-)

Posted: 23/03/2005 at 16:56

Gilbert Webster

Sorry, but I disagreed with the above statement, my first pair of NB900 I was training for the Amsterdam Marathon last year and did about 90 miles using the 900's before the race and the sole started to break up, the 900's were returned and NB sent me a new pair two weeks before the race and I was able to do marathon. I find the 900's are a good trainer but there are not a shoe that you could do more than 150 miles during training and still be able to use them for the same race.I also bought a pair NB 1023 in December 2004 and used them for my weekend training sessions , the support in the heel is all broken up which caused me to shorten the training run last weekend to 22 miles instead of the 28 miles that I had planned for my pre marathon. To summarise I found that NB's are not a trainier that you can do lots of mileage in them, hence I will be going back to Nike's or Mizuno

Posted: 24/03/2005 at 07:34

tallbird

Maybe you have just been unlucky Gilbert? I have had at least 10 pairs of NB trainers of various styles and find that they last a good 400 - 500 miles before my knees start hurting.

Certainly I 've never had trouble with bits of the shoes breaking up.

Posted: 24/03/2005 at 09:11

SusieBee

As a slight over-pronator on my left foot, I think they're great for shorter races, but although I'm sure they helped me achieve a 10 mile PB of sub 68 minutes during the Kingston 16 on Sunday, my legs have felt pretty sore ever since, or to be precise, the left leg. So, until I get quicker over the longer distances, I think I'll err on the side of caution and wear something a little more supportive.

Anna, good luck with the sub-3:15 - I'm going for similar.

Posted: 24/03/2005 at 15:19

venom

Anna, if you're feeling uncomfortable after 10 miles in the your 900s, then it's probably not going to be a good idea to wear them in the marathon. They might indeed save you seconds, but the marathon is a race where you can lose minutes easily if something goes wrong.

I think the 900 is a fantastic shoe, and I intend to wear them in my next marathon. Before that though I'll be slowly building up the time and distance I do in them over the next six months or so. But I'll only wear them for a marathon if they feel very comfortable in a 20+ mile training run.

Posted: 25/03/2005 at 09:09

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